KAMEN RIDER DAYS I: IFRIT VS GAROH
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: Sequel to SCHOOL DAYS OF THE CHRONOLINER RIDERS. This story chronicles the school life and secret life of the Kamen Riders as they band together in the fight against the Imagin threat.
1. Double Date Disaster

"Contract Complete!" the Pangolin Imagin said before splitting Taisuke in half and opening him like a door. Kotonoha gasped in shock when she saw this but Ryuji wore a neutral expression. He watched as the Imagin entered the green time portal and Taisuke's body closed up and he slumped to the ground.

"Sawanaga-san!" Kotonoha shouted as she helped the boy up. Though she didn't like him all that much, she was too nice to just leave him be. Ryuji took out a blank ticket from his pocket and held it over Sawanaga's head. The date was displayed clearly (23rd May 2007) along with the image of the Imagin and Ryuji nodded. Though it was protocol to ask why such a date was significant, all he was interested in was getting to that time. He took out his Rider Pass and slipped the ticket inside.

"Koto-chan, stay here with him," Ryuji said as he pressed a button on his wrist communicator. "I got an Imagin to hunt down." The ChronoLiner sped out of the portal to pick Ryuji up. One of the doors opened as it stopped in front of the teens before Ryuji boarded it.

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha said. "Be careful and good luck."

Ryuji gave her a nod. He would come back. The door slid close as he waved at her before the ChronoLiner went into another portal, headed towards the date written on the ticket.

* * *

**23****rd**** May 2007**

In the past, Taisuke screamed as sand poured out from his body and then formed into the Pangolin Imagin. The Imagin gave Taisuke a grin before knocking him out with a punch to the head. He was in the school hallway and when the students saw the Imagin coming out of Taisuke like that, they screamed.

"Yes, run! Run!" it laughed. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" The Imagin then started its rampage by attacking students but then he was thrown backwards by a punch. Looking up, he glared at the figure. "You!" It was that damn Rider!

Ryuji had arrived. He and the others had shown up sometime during the second semester. Due to that, nobody recognized him but they were awed by how brave he was taking on this monster.

"Yes, and I'm here to finish you off," said Ryuji. His eyes went over to Taisuke's unconscious form and he smirked before turning his attention back towards the Imagin.

"Now, it's time we finish this. That's all I'm interested in."

"Not protecting these people?" the Imagin questioned.

"If they die here by your hands, the laws of time will restore them. I don't like most of them, but that doesn't mean I won't protect them."

The Imagin snorted, displayed its claws and then lunged towards Ryuji.

"Henshin!" Ryuji slid the pass into the belt.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

The armor formed over Ryuji as he charged at the Imagin. The claws missed the Rider when he ducked and then tackled the Imagin in the chest. The Imagin staggered backwards but Ifrit grabbed it by the arm and then ran towards the windows. He jumped through one, shattering it, pulling the Imagin down with him before they landed on the ground. Ifrit needed his space and outside was the ideal place.

"Let me say this from the beginning; I am very pissed off!" Ifrit announced.

Unlike Ifrit, the Pangolin Imagin had landed on its back. Ifrit let its arm go and made some distance, going into an Ifrit-Ken stance. The Imagin growled and then fired the plates on its body like missiles. Ifrit tried to dodge but there were too many and they were moving fast. He screamed as the plates slammed into him, causing sparks to fly. When the onslaught ceased, Ifrit noticed he was being watched by the students. Some even had their camera phones out taking snap shots. He grunted about stupid kids before turning his attention back to the Imagin and just in time too before its claws reached his throat. He leaned backwards and raised his left leg, hitting the Imagin hard between the legs. The Imagin doubled over in pain while Ifrit righted himself. He put down his left leg and raised his right leg, hitting the Imagin in the face with it before bringing it down for a heel kick that forced the Imagin to the ground. He then went around the Imagin, picked it up by its legs and then started to spin around and around. The Imagin howled as it was being spun before Ifrit tossed him away and into the message board. The board was smashed to pieces but Ifrit didn't need to worry about it. Collateral damage was the norm with this job.

The Imagin was in a daze as it got out of the pile wood as Ifrit's right hand was engulfed in blue flames. The flames then reformed and solidified into one of his Ifrit Daos. He pressed down on the switch located at the top of his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Energy transferred from the belt into the sword as the temperature started to drop. The Imagin looked to see Ifrit charging at him with a glowing blue blade. Snarling, it charged right back but that would be a bad move on its part. Ifrit swung his sword as the Imagin thrust its right claw forward but Ifrit had been quicker and the Imagin was slashed across the chest. When the blade made contact, the Imagin became covered in ice in less than a second. Again, Ifrit slashed down with his sword, slicing the Imagin right in half and the frozen halves dropped to the ground before shattering into pieces.

Ifrit, satisfied, decided to leave. He'd taken care of the Imagin so there was no reason to stay here. He looked to see a crowd of students in the distance and could see Sekai, Makoto and Kotonoha among them. With a shrug, he leapt upwards as the ChronoLiner appeared and he landed at an open doorway before walking inside the train as it flew off and into a portal back to the present.

* * *

When Ryuji returned to the present, he was welcomed by an overly affectionate girl kissing him hard on the lips. He enjoyed it for a second before she pulled away, smiling brightly.

"OK, what was that for?" he asked.

"For being you," she replied simply, "Being a hero."

Ryuji sighed, "Just a guy doing his job because I need to pay rent and the reward I get from defeating that Imagin would be enough."

Kotonoha frowned. "Is that all you care about?"

"A guy needs a place to live and well since I don't have any other skills save for fighting, being paid to fight the Imagin is the perfect job for me." Kotonoha gave him a look. "Alright, the pay is just a bonus. I really want to protect you and this world from being overrun by Imagin." Kotonoha smiled at his answer. "So, where is that Sawanaga guy?"

* * *

"**DOUBLE-DATE DISASTER!"**

* * *

**A week later…**

Ryuji loved Kotonoha Katsura with all his heart. How could he not? She was compassionate, kind, gentle and very cute. Though, her assets were attractive, they were nothing compared to her gentle nature. Plus, the sex was great. The things they did on Christmas night in that hotel room…he had NO idea she could be that flexible. He also remembered how passionate she was in bed and how she loved to claw at his back. He carried those marks proudly since they were testaments of her love for him and well he had given her a love bite too.

Training under him, Kotonoha had gained some confidence. She could stand up for herself if given the chance. Because he loved her, he could never say no to any of her requests…

Except now.

"No," he stated firmly.

"But, Ryuji-kun…" Kotonoha begged. "You promised."

Ryuji scowled which made Kotonoha giggle.

"Koto-chan, I agreed to the double date when I didn't know who we were going out with. Now, you tell me it's _them_?"

"Ryuji-kun, it's been 2 months since. Can't you forgive them?"

"For breaking your trust and heart, no," Ryuji shook his head. "I can't believe you're even thinking I would consider this now. I don't even like them."

"You don't like anybody," she corrected.

"That's not true," he said, leaning close to kiss her cheek. "I like you."

Both of them were on the school roof, having lunch together on a bench. Kotonoha always made lunch for the two of them and Ryuji enjoyed the food she made. It had a very unique taste to him.

"So, do you like me enough to go out on a double date?" Kotonoha asked.

"Ugh," groaned Ryuji. She just had to use that to her advantage. Honestly, he loved this girl so much that he would be considered 'whipped' for being obedient, though he doubted anyone would say that within his range unless they were stupid, or Warren. "Fine, we'll go, but don't expect me to be chummy with them."

Smiling, Kotonoha gave Ryuji a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."

Ryuji sighed. The things he would endure for this girl.

It'd been two months since Ryuji returned and decided to stay in this world as its designated Rider against the Imagin threat. So far, there hadn't been that much on Imagin activity, but still…That didn't mean he could slack off. He trained himself often to make sure he was ready. Of course, he also spent time with Kotonoha on dates or just hanging out with her. She was, understandably, his only friend in this school, which was how he preferred it though Kotonoha often thought he felt a little lonely. A lot of the students were afraid of Ryuji due to his temper. She was the only one who knew he was kind at heart, despite his tough exterior. She could always break that wall and find his true self, the kind boy whom she fell in love with.

In her mind, she heard the voice of her partner, '_Lady_ _Kotonoha, you sure know how to control your man, just like a real Amazon should._'

A month ago, Otome had apologized to her for bullying her for a long time. Though Otome would still tease Kotonoha, she was no longer a bully. Of course, maybe it was because she was afraid of what Ryuji would do to them. They had seen him punch a hole in the wall and Otome knew it wasn't smart to anger him. The rest of her posse weren't exactly thrilled and tried to bully Kotonoha despite Otome's warning. What they got was, instead of Ryuji coming to interrupt them, was a sudden change in Kotonoha's behavior as she gave each of them a black eye and a few bruises when they tried to harass her. Since then Kotonoha was left alone.

Some would say that Ryuji was rubbing off on her. Actually, it all had been due to Kotonoha's new partner, the Amazon Imagin named Athena. He could tell when Athena was in control since Kotonoha's eyes would turn green and her hair would be done up in a ponytail with green streak in it. Kotonoha did look good with a ponytail but he and Athena didn't particularly get along, especially after she hijacked his body when he got into trouble fighting a powerful Lobster Imagin. To be controlled like that…well at least he got a new form out of it. Athena, on the other hand, disliked males in general and only tolerated him because he was Kotonoha's boyfriend.

Kotonoha didn't know how to respond to her Imagin's words. She wasn't controlling Ryuji, was she? Sure, she made him do a lot of things with her but nothing he didn't want to do, right? Well, he didn't want to go on this double date but she'd managed to make him agree to it.

"Just don't glare at them the whole time, OK?" she requested. "Please?"

"I'll try, but I can't promise though," he replied.

* * *

It was a routine student's life for Ryuji. Go to class, listen to some boring lecture, take notes, go home and study. He wasn't exactly very motivated when it came to school work but luckily for him Kotonoha would tutor him…though at some point they would end up making out on the floor and forgetting studying altogether.

The final bell rang and Ryuji packed up his things along with Kotonoha. They both left class together, hand in hand as they exited and bumped into Taisuke.

Taisuke Sawanaga was on Ryuji's list of the people he hated the most. Makoto and Sekai's names were on it and after what Taisuke had tried to do to Kotonoha during the last school festival he'd earned a special place on that list. Kotonoha did feel a little sorry for Taisuke whenever he ran in terror of Ryuji but that was a given seeing as the beating he'd gotten took several weeks to heal.

Kotonoha was on good terms with Makoto and Sekai again but occasionally Ryuji would find Makoto glancing at Kotonoha. Obviously, the guy was still an indecisive idiot and was wondering if he still loved Kotonoha. As if Ryuji would let Makoto take Kotonoha away. The Ifrit Rider still kept thinking of killing Makoto in a way that it looked like an accident but that would just upset Kotonoha and he didn't like making her upset.

"So, you want to join my family for dinner later?" asked Kotonoha. Her parents, though wary of him, were very accepting since he'd protected her from a molester (Taisuke). They had met during Christmas Eve dinner and got along well. Though Ryuji was Ryuki's Yin, he still remembered his proper manners. He could be a gentleman, but he chose to ignore his manners most of the time in casual company.

"Do you even need to ask?" he replied. Suddenly, his wrist watch began beeping frantically. "Oh, hell no!"

"Is it an Imagin?" she asked.

"What else could ruin my mood," grumbled Ryuji. "Stay here while I go check it out." He knew it would be useless to tell her that but what else could he say? He dashed straight towards the source of the disturbance.

* * *

The Imagin was a Black Bear Imagin and using his steel clubs to break several store windows as people panicked and fled away to safety. The Imagin seemed amused as it did this and continued smashing windows, laughing, as the people ran. "Now this is what it means to feel alive!"

Ryuji arrived to the scene and had his Ifrit Belt on. He was about to activate it when all of a sudden a roaring motorbike could be heard. The bike slammed hard into the Imagin and sent it tumbling across the ground. Ryuji's eyes widened when he saw the person on the bike.

It was another Kamen Rider and it was one he knew well…Kamen Rider Garoh Hunter Form.

The Imagin got back to its feet as Garoh strode forward. It tried to smash him to the ground with its clubs but the Wolf Rider leapt up an impressive height before dropping down to slam his knees into the Imagin's shoulders. He then bounded off and snapped his legs forward, smashing his feet into the Imagin's feet and sending it staggering backwards.

"**Is that all you got?**" Garoh taunted. As he said this he was configuring his Gasher into Scimitar Mode. "**I was expecting better from you.**"

Roaring, the Black Bear Imagin charged at Garoh who waved his Pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The Imagin brought his clubs high above his head, ready to smash the Rider into the ground but Garoh spun on his heels and got behind the Imagin before slashing downward with his charged up scimitar. The Imagin was sliced completely in half before exploding in a fiery blaze.

Kenzaki's armor fell off and he smirked, "Heh, now that was easy." Of course, he wasn't expecting a pissed off boy who resembled his friend Ryuki stomping towards him.

"Hey, teme! That was my Imagin to kill!" the other boy shouted. Kenzaki looked to the boy and stared him down. He noticed the belt and the Rider Pass and put two and two together.

"So, you're a Rider too, huh?" said Kenzaki, scrutinizing the boy.

"That's right! Name's Ryuji Hasuma!" He poked Kenzaki in the chest, "Let me tell you this from the beginning; I am very ticked off!"

Kenzaki didn't like this kid's tone of voice but to hear the name 'Hasuma' and that the fact this kid looked like Ryuki with his hair out made him curious. "Hey, are you related to a Ryuki Hasuma by any chance?"

"Sure I am, Kenzaki Tsukuba," Ryuji replied. "Don't be so surprised. I was part of him until recently. I used to go by Ifrit then."

"Ifrit?" Kenzaki had heard about Ryuki's other half. "So…you're a clone?" That was the only explanation he could come up with.

"No!" Ryuji snapped. "I'm the physical embodiment of his Yin! Now, why the hell are you on my turf!"

"Hey, don't be angry cause you were too slow," Kenzaki retorted but then Ryuji struck hard with his fist which Kenzaki caught in his hand. "Hey!"

"You and me, right here, right now!" challenged Ryuji. "It's go time! Henshin!"

"Very well," Kenzaki sighed. "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

* * *

Despite his words to stay away, Kotonoha once again went against his request after some coaxing from her own Imagin partner. Kotonoha could hear the sound of fighting and followed it. She assumed her boyfriend was fighting an Imagin but was surprised to see him fighting another warrior clad in armor. She'd been told that these warriors were called Kamen Riders. Could this be a new enemy like Katherine?

'_Who is that?_' questioned Athena.

"I don't know," responded Kotonoha.

The other Rider was clad in black armor that was based on a wolf and was fighting with the same ferocity. Neither Rider was armed but that didn't make the fight any less brutal. The movements appeared deadly and she knew she would be hurt if she tried to interfere.

Garoh Hunter Form was using his GekiJyu Wolf-Ken style against the Ifrit Rider and soon discovered that his opponent was a practitioner of one of the GenJyuKen styles. From what he heard from his adopted father in the past, the GenJyuKen users had been evil.

Kotonoha watched as the two warriors fought furiously. She wasn't sure what to do. If she interfered, she would get hurt and…she remembered when it'd happened before and she saw her boyfriend change. It had not been a pretty sight and it haunted her nightmares for many nights.

Garoh started by executing one of his most used attacks, "**Gekiwaza!** **Gon Gon Ken!**" His right fist became engulfed in purple flames, which was his violet Fierce Ki. Watching as the fist came close, Ifrit prepared his own special technique, his Gengi.

At first, he had been apprehensive at using Gengi but he realized that by practicing GenJyuKen he'd absorbed some of the Mythical Ki from the scroll. It kept building up and wasn't released since he never used the Gengi before. He then found out, the hard way, that Mythical Ki needed to be expelled once in a while or else the user would be overwhelmed and go berserk. Of course, using the Mythical Ki also caused the user to go berserk and thus Ifrit performed meditative exercises to keep himself balanced and regulate the intake and outtake of Mythical Ki in his body.

"Gengi! Shogai Domu!" He thrust his arms out in front of him, palms facing forward as Mythical Ki enveloped his body and then expanded into a dome shape, deflecting Garoh's attack. Ifrit dropped the dome and performed another attack, "Gengi! Jigoku Tsume!" His fingers were curled and then he covered them in Mythical Ki before slashing Garoh across the chest. The part that got slashed became covered in ice and Garoh was bewildered.

"Ifrit-Ken was originally a fire-based technique, but I managed to use it with my ice power. That is the end result. A few more slashes and you'll be ice cubes," boasted Ifrit.

"**Well, then, looks like I have to call in a replacement**," said Garoh as he pressed a red button on his belt and swiped the Pass over it.

"**SAVAGE FORM!**"

Okami's presence left him and was soon replaced by Buraki who quickly took over. His additional armor vanished and was then replaced by red draconic armor.

Now he was Kamen Rider Garoh Savage Form.

Without saying his signature catchphrase, Garoh formed two fireballs in hand. "**Fire beats ice any day.**"

Ifrit formed his twin Ifrit Dao and charged for the Imoogi powered Rider. Garoh hurled the fireballs at Ifrit who cancelled them out with his blades. When he got into range, he started slashing at Garoh who ducked and rammed both palms into his gut. Ifrit was sent reeling and then recovered just in time to see a torrent of flames that Garoh blasted him towards him. Luckily, he had his swords crossed to block the flames. He concentrated and blasted back with his cold blue flames. Garoh pushed back too and red hot and cold blue flames were pushing each other back as Kotonoha watched. It seemed like an even match when all of a sudden…

"NYAO NYAO DAN!" A giant ethereal cat got in between the flames before spinning around and striking both Riders with its tail before vanishing and making the flames disperse. Kotonoha wondered where it'd come from when she heard a new voice.

"Yamette, Rider no Baka!" it was a female voice coming from a girl with long and braided black hair and storm blue eyes, wearing a white vest over a blue turtleneck shirt, a denim miniskirt, black tights and white boots. Around her neck was a medallion modeled after a dragon. Her body glowed with Ki as she glared at the two Riders.

Garoh's transformation failed at the moment he saw the girl and he became Kenzaki again once Buraki left. "Neko!"

Ifrit's armor also vanished as he turned his eyes towards this girl, his sister. "Damn, Neko-nee! Why'd you have to do that?"

Neko knew this was her brother's Yin so he was practically her brother too, just like how she treated Kat like family.

She stomped towards Kenzaki and pulled him by his ear and to his feet. He couldn't feel pain but this was nothing compared to when she got into her tirade. Kotonoha ran towards Ryuji and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away?" he responded. He caught her frown. "Sorry. Thanks for asking, but I'm fine."

"Athena talked me into coming," she said apologetically.

"I thought so," Ryuji sighed. Kotonoha's eyes went towards Neko who was scolding Kenzaki about fighting her brother.

"So, that is your sister? The good one?" she asked. Ryuji had told her about his family.

"Pretty much and the one I fought is her boyfriend, Kenzaki." He snickered as he continued to watch Neko scolding Kenzaki. "Serves him right."

When Neko stopped she approached them with Kenzaki following, head bowed. Neko's eyes went towards her new brother and then to Kotonoha. She smiled and bowed in greeting, "Konnichiwa."

Kotonoha bowed in greeting too as Ryuji stood by her side. Kotonoha introduced herself, "I'm Kotonoha Katsura."

"Well, I bet Ifrit-chan has told you about me but I might as well make an introduction," said Neko. She'd practiced for this. Since Kenzaki had a speech for being a GekiJyuKen user, she already had one of her own, "Born in the light of the dragon's fang and wielding the claws of the cat. The Blade of Justice. Hasuma Confrontation Style swordswoman and GekiJyu Cat-Ken user. Watashi wa Hasuma Neko." She was proud and confident, a contrast to Kotonoha.

Kotonoha blinked at the lengthy introduction. She turned towards Ryuji who shrugged.

"And I am Gekiryuken," introduced Neko's medallion, causing Kotonoha to gasp. Though, she'd seen a lot since dating Ryuji so she shouldn't be surprised.

A green haze of energy flew out of Kotonoha and took form. It was a humanoid female figure clad in a green armored top that left her stomach bare and matching shorts. She had spiked shoulder pads and green gauntlets and boots. Her skin was tanned and she had a skirt of feathers around her waist and golden bracelets and anklets. Her hawk-like helmet covered her entire head and left the lower half of her face and mouth exposed. She had green hawk-like eyes and a frown on her face. A sword was in a holster at her hip. For an Imagin, she was sure attractive.

"It is an honor to meet you," said Athena. Though she held no respect for men, she knew a strong woman when she saw one. She got down on one knee and placed her right fist to her heart, "I am the Amazon Imagin, Lady Neko, and my name is Athena."

This was surprising. Usually she was high and mighty. She was never this humbled. Neko liked the praise and Kenzaki looked a little suspicious but then a red haze of energy left his body and reformed into the Imoogi Imagin, Buraki.

"Wow, you're hot!" complimented Buraki. "Want to go out?"

Athena stood at full height and glared down on Buraki. She snorted, "You are not worthy." Her eyes were cold but Buraki didn't take the hint.

"Aw, come on! It would be worth your while." He attempted to reach for her shoulder but Athena took offence and immediately kneed him in the crotch. Kenzaki and Ryuji flinched and looked away as Buraki collapsed on the ground, holding his 'jewels' and writhing in pain.

"Nice one," Neko said. Buraki always flirted with her but she was too nice to hit him for it. It was good to see the pervert getting what he deserved.

"You are welcome, Lady Neko," nodded Athena. "I was impressed at how you handled your male. It was very forceful. You act like an Amazon, just like Lady Kotonoha."

Ryuji and Kenzaki couldn't stop glaring at each other. Both used opposing JyuKen schools. While Kenzaki's was the Beast Fist of Justice, Ryuji's was the Beast Fist of Destruction. Still Ryuji was this world's Rider and had used his skills to defeat a number of Imagin.

"You have a problem with the style I use, don't you?" asked Ryuji.

"You practice GenJyuKen," stated Kenzaki.

"You got a good eye to recognize it," replied Ryuji. He spoke proudly, "The Infernal Power of the Demon. GenJyu Ifrit-Ken. That's my style."

"Where did you learn it? How did you learn it?" questioned Kenzaki.

Ryuji shrugged. "Before I came here, I spent a year traveling. Found the scroll and studied it. I found out I liked it so I decided to make it my own. Why?"

"You do know that Mythical Ki is…"

"Malevolent? Trust me, I do." He remembered the time he'd gone berserk, involuntarily turning into a GenJyu form. "And while it is meant for destruction, I will use it to protect this world. Techniques are only evil in the wrong hands. Aren't RinJyuKen and GekiJyuKen different branches of the same school?" Kenzaki eye's widened at this. "I studied some history too to know more about the Beast Fist style. Would've studied GekiJyuKen too if GenJyuKen didn't look so exciting."

Kenzaki huffed at the answer but accepted it nonetheless. Ryuji wasn't evil but the Mythical Ki he felt just felt wrong…

"Can we continue this conversation elsewhere?" asked Neko. "I mean the police are going to get here soon."

"Let's go to my place," said Ryuji. "We just need to take a train there but it's cozy."

* * *

Athena remained in Kotonoha's body during the entire trip since the Amazon Imagin would draw unwanted attention. The one time she was out, people assumed Athena was a cos-player of some sort.

They arrived in front of the apartment building and went up the elevator to where Ryuji lived. He unlocked it and invited them inside. "Tadaima," he said as they came inside.

"Okaeri, Ryuji," an Imagin greeted them at the door. This Imagin was clad in a full black robe and wearing an apron. His hood was up so only the eyes were visible along with the red skin of his face and a pair of long horns coming out of his forehead. He wore golden boots and gloves.

Kenzaki was suddenly on high alert when this Imagin appeared but then Ryuji explained, "It's fine. Loki here is my Imagin partner. Come inside."

They removed their footwear and slipped on some comfortable house slippers. Why Ryuji, who detested most people, had many pairs of slippers was anybody's guess but maybe it was for any surprise guests. Loki went back into the kitchen to make some drinks.

The place didn't look too bad. The living room was fully furnished with a blue carpet and black leather chairs and a couch with a coffee table and a TV. The curtains were blue.

Kenzaki and Neko sat down on the couch as Kotonoha took a seat on a chair. Athena appeared, standing at her side vigilantly. Ryuji sat on another chair, and turned his head to face Kenzaki and Neko.

"OK, you two are bounty hunters, so why are you here?" asked Ryuji, getting to the point. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't a job. So, give me a good reason because you're on my turf now, and I need to be in the loop."

"We don't need to tell you anything," said Kenzaki gruffly, crossing his arms. It appeared that he didn't like Ryuji.

"There's an A-Class bounty on the loose on this world," stated Neko.

"Neko!" Kenzaki exclaimed. "That was classified!"

"We may need his help, Ken-kun," Neko reasoned.

Kenzaki sighed. "Fine." He continued for Neko, "He's been using the recent increase of Imagin activity to cover his tracks. I take it there have been a lot of seemingly random Imagin attacks recently, right?"

"Yeah, there have been a few," replied Ryuji.

"Well, we think he's planning something, and he's been manipulating the Imagin to his ends. We also think it has something to do with the original history of this world as well as something else about this world."

"Original history?" Kotonoha questioned. Ryuji bristled at hearing this. He hadn't told her about it.

"This world has special properties too," explained Kenzaki. "Sometimes people with special powers that end up here lose the use of their powers, at least temporarily."

"The same thing happened to us," added Ryuji. "Plus we de-aged. So, what does this A-Class teme want?"

"I've made some tea!" announced Loki as he came into the living room. He was holding a tray with teacups on it. He kneeled at the table and placed down the tray. "Please, enjoy!"

Ryuji groaned, "Loki, you don't have to serve tea." The Imagin Loki stood up and walked over to Ryuji's side.

"But we have guests. It's courteous to do so," said Loki. He then bowed before stating, "I am Ryuji's Imagin servant. Please, call me if you need anything." He looked intimidating, but was actually kind at heart. "Please, tell me if you need anything." He stood straight at Ryuji's side.

"Loki…" sighed Ryuji.

"You did wish for help and I am only granting your wish," reasoned Loki.

"Anyway, Loki, you can forget about dinner," informed Ryuji, "Because Koto-chan invited me over to her place tonight."

Loki nodded, "It is alright. I haven't begun preparations yet anyway."

"So, how can Ryuji-kun help?" Kotonoha asked the bounty hunters.

"Well, we're not sure what our bounty wants to be exact," said Neko. "But he's an A-Class criminal so we need to stop him at whatever he is doing."

"He may try to change the past and is manipulating the Imagin to do so," said Kenzaki.

"That's obvious," said Ryuji. "So, do you have a Wanted poster?"

Kenzaki pulled out a poster. It depicted a man with short black hair and slanted red eyes. "His name's Tatsuya Hirakawa, no known aliases, and no known living relatives. Normally he'd be classified as a C-Class, because he's a jumper. Jumps between worlds. However, the guy's manipulative. He's been promising Imagin power and each of them their own world in _his_ Multiverse. Guy's trouble. We're not sure what else he's capable of."

"If he's an A-Class now, he must mean trouble," said Ryuji.

"He's a tricky one too," added Neko.

Ryuji looked at the two bounty hunters and decided to say something. "Well, you also must notice you've been de-aged to teenagers, right? You both look 16," Ryuji pointed out.

"We noticed when we got here," Kenzaki grumbled. His powers were inaccessible for the moment but he would regain them in time. It was the same for Neko.

"It could mean your guy here has also been de-aged," said Ryuji.

"Also, that means you have to go to school while you're here," said Kotonoha.

"Why?" Kenzaki questioned.

"It's what we did to blend in," answered Ryuji. "If you want to catch this guy you need to blend in and not stick out."

"Fine," Kenzaki sighed. He was a bounty hunter who did what it took to get a job done, even if it meant going to school. He was home-schooled all his life on the GaroLiner so he never really went to high school.

Neko whispered into his ear, "Perk up. You'll get to see me in that uniform…" Kenzaki took one look at the uniform Kotonoha was wearing and grinned. Ryuji didn't like the way Kenzaki was eyeing his girl and neither did Athena. "Ano, Ifrit-chan?"

"Hai?" Ryuji responded.

"Is it OK if Ken-kun and I stay here?" Neko asked.

Ryuji and Kenzaki's eyes went wide at her request. They looked at each other. Upon first meeting each other, they'd silently agreed that they both disliked each other. To be living together would end up with one of them dead, to say the least.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" asked Kenzaki.

"It's fine if _she_ stays here," said Ryuji, emphasizing 'she'. He was alright with letting Neko stay but not her boyfriend. "You, however…"

"I wouldn't want to be under the same roof as you either," Kenzaki shot back.

"Same here, teme," Ryuji retorted.

Neko, Kotonoha and the Imagin could see sparks flying out of the two boy's eyes as they glared at each other hatefully.

"You know, you both are very alike," commented Kotonoha, causing both boys to look at her.

"We're not!" they denied in unison before turning towards each other, "Stop that! Hey!" They started to butt heads and growling like animals.

"You know, you're right," giggled Neko. "Ken-kun…" She purred as she went over to Kenzaki and rubbed herself against him. He couldn't feel pain but there were other sensations he could feel. "Let's stay here, please…"

Kenzaki's face went red as he lost his train of thought. She was pressing up against him and he could feel 'them' very well. "Oh…OK…"

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Kenzaki was so whipped. Well, Neko was his sister so he might as well tolerate the Wolf-Ken user. "Fine, you both can stay here," he said before turning towards Loki, "Loki, prepare the room and about dinner, you can make it for them."

Loki bowed and replied, "I understand."

Ryuji stood up and turned to Kotonoha, "Ikuzo."

Kotonoha smiled and gave a nod before standing up and taking Ryuji's hand. Neko smiled. These two were so in love. Athena would stay behind though but she was still connected to Kotonoha so she could come during emergencies.

"Ja ne," Ryuji said before he and Kotonoha went to the door, changed into their shoes, and exited the apartment.

"Alright, time to make dinner!" Loki said pleasantly before he went to the kitchen.

* * *

Though it was a little early for dinner, Ryuji loved coming over to Kotonoha's place. Sure, her parents would be out working but Kokoro would be there…at least she should be.

Kotonoha and Ryuji both entered her home and the boy found out that his girlfriend's family wasn't around. He followed her into the living room after changing into a pair of indoor slippers.

"Where are your parents and Kokoro-chan?" asked Ryuji curiously. Kotonoha's face adopted a mischievous smile as she stepped up towards him.

"I lied," she stated.

"Lied?"

"My family isn't here. They're all visiting relatives. I stayed to take care of the house…"

The gears in Ryuji's head were starting to turn before he grinned, "So…we're not having dinner…"

"Oh, we are," she said silkily as she looped her arms around his neck. "Just not right away. You can wait, right?"

"If I got something to do," he said as he placed his hands to her hips. "Of course." He leaned down to claim her lips.

They began to make out as their tongues wrestled with each other. Kotonoha began to rub against him as his arms wrapped around her waist. His left hand then went to fondle right breast, causing her to gasp. She pulled away, licking her lips. "Tasty."

"You're really naughty, Koto-chan," he said.

"You want to punish me?" she said teasingly.

"Not here," he said before he lifted her up and carried her bridal style. She had her arms around his neck for support. "Let's go, my Koto-chan."

Kotonoha giggled. Ryuji could be so sweet and a perfect gentleman but that was only in private. Most people saw a delinquent but she saw another side of him. He carried her the whole way to her room. Dinner could wait. First, he wanted to have a little 'snack'.

* * *

"I'm still saying he's getting some right now," said Kenzaki as he sat across from Neko at the dining table.

"Ken-kun, I think you're assuming too much," spoke Neko with some disdain. Kenzaki had just told Neko that Ryuji and Kotonoha were having sex right now. "Her family's home. How would they have the chance?"

"The girl was lying about her folks being home, couldn't you tell?" said Kenzaki. "I've seen a lot of liars, and she's actually a pretty good one. Right this minute they are going at it like rabbits."

"Are you trying to make me lose my appetite?" Neko questioned suspiciously.

"Actually, he's telling the truth," said Athena as she sat down next to Neko. "I can feel Lady Kotonoha's emotions right now through our link and right now…" Athena shuddered and gasped. Neko didn't need to hear anything more.

Loki had prepared a pretty modest dinner. They had bowls of rice in front of them and in the middle of the table were plates of chicken stir-fry and fish tempura along with sliced beef. Loki was a great cook and when he was done eventually sat down to join them.

Loki could also feel his host's emotions through their link and luckily for him his mask hid his blush. The things they were doing…were some of them even possible? He never knew a human girl could be so flexible and Athena wondered how a human male could have that much stamina…

There wasn't anymore further conversation about what Ryuji and Kotonoha did in private since Neko didn't want to have that image in her mind while eating. She didn't want to lose her appetite and the food just looked too good to pass up.

"Itadakimasu," the two humans and Imagin said before they ate.

* * *

"Itadakimasu."

Both Kotonoha and Ryuji sat next to each other as they ate dinner. He'd shed off his blazer and tie as did she. Of course, they had shed off more clothing while they were…

Both were comfortable with each other and were deeply in love. Though, many made the mistake to assume that she was in an abusive relationship because of Ryuji's reputation, which wasn't a good one, but she would defend him. There was that incident when she got a bad bruise but only because when she'd been training with Ryuji she got cocky and the sandbag hit back when she punched it.

Kotonoha's family wouldn't be back for a few more days and Ryuji would've loved to spend the night. He did have guests at his own place but they could wait. It was a weekend tomorrow anyway and well…

Oh, the double date.

That would be very awkward for them all. He just knew something would go wrong but he could never find the strength to argue with his girlfriend.

Kotonoha gasped and Ryuji looked down to see his hand on her thigh. He swiftly pulled back his hand. Sometimes he couldn't even control his hand. Kotonoha blushed and giggled a little at his reaction. There was no reason for him to be so shy about it since they had gone way beyond 'B'. They were already doing 'C' with each other. As rough as he seemed, he could be so gentle…She wore a wistful smile as she thought back to what'd happened in her bedroom. His smell would be all over her sheets.

Out of a whim, she'd stolen one of Ryuji's jackets because she had been told that wearing it while she slept would be like he was caressing her. He never found out she ever did it and well he'd incorrectly concluded that it must've gotten lost in the wash or he'd misplace that piece of clothing. The jacket, black with blue lining and red sleeves, was currently hanging in her closet.

Ryuji's eyes glanced at Kotonoha and he could see her cleavage peaking out from her shirt, which had some of the top buttons undone and she hadn't bothered to put on a bra since afterwards…the thought made his cheeks turn red and it was embarrassing. They had done it enough times to not be shy about the subject, at least with each other, but right now his pants were becoming a little tighter than he was normally comfortable with due a stray thought of him ravishing Kotonoha right on the dining table and licking condiments right off her body…

He knew he would be sleeping over and after breakfast he would have to go back and change for the double date, which was still a bad idea whichever way he thought about it. He would rather be fighting an army of Imagin than hang around with those two. Heck, he would rather be going on a double date with Kenzaki and Neko…

For him and Kenzaki, it'd been loathe at first sight. Even within Ryuki, he never held much respect for the other Rider and now it seemed that his animosity towards Kenzaki Tsukuba had only intensified. Maybe it was because they practiced different Beast Fist Schools. Kenzaki was a practitioner of the GekiJyu Wolf-Ken (Fierce Beast Wolf-Fist) while Ryuji himself was a practitioner of the GenJyu Ifrit-Ken (Mythical Beast Ifrit-Fist). The GenJyuKen and GekiJyuKen had once been enemies and the GekiJyuKen had defeated the GenJyuKen. So, they were naturally enemies by choice but also allies since they were on the same side: the side of justice.

That didn't mean Ryuji had to like it. He chewed on some chicken and got some sauce at the corner of his lip. He felt Kotonoha dabbing the spot with a napkin to clean it off and he smiled. She was so affectionate and was a great cook (he was the only one who thought so, however). She would make a good wife one day.

* * *

When Ryuji returned home the next morning, he caught both Neko and Kenzaki grinning at him as they sat in the living room.

"Tadaima," Ryuji greeted.

"Okaeri," said Loki.

"Okaeri, Ifrit-chan," Neko greeted. "So, how was dinner at Kotonoha's last night?"

"It was…fine," he said. He didn't like the way they were looking at him. "I had breakfast there too."

"We noticed," said Kenzaki. "You didn't come back last night."

"I was worried when you didn't return but it's a good thing you left a message on the answering machine," spoke Loki. "So, you spent the night there?"

Ryuji chose not to answer. He had spent the night at Kotonoha's. Waking up to see her by his side, naked as a newborn, had been a wonderful sight in the morning. He didn't want to wake up and cuddled with her until she finally awoke. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with her all day, they did have an appointment with Makoto and Sekai later. So, Ryuji had reluctantly left the comfort of her bed and gone to take a shower…she followed him in of course and the rest was history.

"I need to get changed and take another shower," said Ryuji.

"Sounds like something's important is going to happen," said Neko.

"I'm not sure it should be called important."

"What is it?" Kenzaki asked curiously.

"A double date."

* * *

Makoto and Sekai met up with Ryuji and Kotonoha at the station and things started off with some tension. Ryuji wouldn't stop glaring at Sekai and Makoto. They were on his list of the people he disliked, which was a long one, and they were near the top of it. He'd already added Kenzaki to that list but these two still ranked pretty high. The only reason he'd agreed to this was for Kotonoha's sake. Any other time he would be dreaming of killing them and making it look like an accident.

"Makoto-kun, Saionji-san," Kotonoha greeted, "Konnichiwa."

The two greeted back but were still shivering under Ryuji's gaze. They could feel the temperature dropping by several degrees. They were all dressed appropriately, casual, but Ryuji added a bit of flare to give off a 'tough guy' appearance, mainly black leather pants, boots, a chain belt, a black t-shirt with a blue claw on it, a matching bomber jacket and black gloves.

The first stop was lunch at a nearby café. After ordering what they wanted, Kotonoha went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit, leaving Makoto and Sekai at Ryuji's mercy. The other couple was seated together as Ryuji sat across from them, eyes still narrowed with disdain and disgust.

"Let's set some ground rules so we can get things clear," began Ryuji. "I don't like either of you." That was a given. "But, because Koto-chan wants to be friends with you, that's the only thing stopping me from crushing your heads like grapes." The two gulped at his threat. "You two broke her trust and heart, so don't expect me to be chummy with you. I will tolerate you, but that's it. I would never do this under any other circumstances except to keep Koto-chan happy. If she's unhappy, I'm unhappy, OK?" Sekai and Makoto nodded. "Good." He leaned back, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I'm glad we had this conversation."

"I'm back," said Kotonoha as she sat down. "So, were you all talking about me while I was gone?" she joked lightly. Makoto and Sekai looked a little nervous. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine," said Makoto. "Right, Sekai?"

"Hai, hai," Sekai added. "Nothing's wrong."

Kotonoha glanced at Ryuji who was smirking. She wondered what he'd said to them but she doubt it had to be good. The food came and they began eating, talking about stuff that'd happened lately, until Sekai started talking about the monsters (Imagin) that had been attacking for a while now and that mysterious masked hero (Kamen Rider Ifrit) who's been fighting them.

"I mean, who is he really?" Sekai asked curiously. "How does he get the gear to fight these things?" Kotonoha knew, but she wasn't telling.

"I only thought monsters were things you saw in movies or read about in books," said Makoto. "Not something you see on the news. It's just…not normal."

"And what is normal?" commented Ryuji. "And, well, all I know is that this armored guy, this 'Kamen Rider Ifrit', is a hero in his own right. Haven't you noticed that the monsters haven't attacked as much lately?"

"But you have to admit that these monsters and this Kamen Rider started showing up at the same time," Makoto argued.

"Are you implying something?" Ryuji glared.

Makoto gulped but didn't falter, "What I'm trying to say is it's pretty convenient for him to show up when these things start attacking."

"Maybe his equipment lets him track them," Ryuji retorted.

"And about that. Where did he get it? It looks far too advanced," said Makoto.

"Well, I think he's awesome," said Sekai.

"Taisuke can't shut up about him," Makoto said, "It's the same with some of the girls in class."

"Katou-san is also an admirer," spoke Kotonoha. Ryuji grimaced. The people who admired his alter-ego were people he disliked. He wouldn't be left alone if his identity was ever blown. Thank goodness. At least he could trust Kotonoha to keep his secret safe.

Lunch was had with light conversation and a little teasing. It wasn't as bad as Ryuji first assumed, though Sekai and Makoto were a little uneasy around him. Next, they watched a movie and instead of some cheesy romance, they watched a horror movie. Kotonoha and Ryuji both enjoyed it as they cuddled together while Sekai and Makoto were freaked out by it a little. Makoto never really took the time to get to know Kotonoha's likes and dislikes but Ryuji did. She liked everything occult related and horror movies, which didn't match her appearance. Then again, men were only attracted to her because of her ample bosom. OK, Ryuji was guilty of that too but he also loved her for her patience, compassion and kindness. He often thought she was too kind for her own good but that was before she took that dozuki and used it on Sauron.

He'd asked her about it and she confessed that she just had the urge to buy it. He guessed that Sauron must've been trying to influence Kotonoha while her powers were still weak. It might've explained why she'd been shocked when Kotonoha had it already.

After the movie, they went to an all you can eat buffet that specialized in pastries. Ryuji had eaten a lot, surprising Sekai and Makoto, but Kotonoha laughed and joked about her boyfriend's above average appetite.

* * *

Monday came along the next day with two new faces joining the school.

"How exactly is this blending in?" asked Kenzaki. He was dressed in the basic uniform, but still stood out. Despite looking 16, he still had his silver hair, different colored eyes and scar. He was also wearing gloves. He was getting a lot of strange looks as he walked along the hallway with Ryuji.

"Stop your complaining," said Ryuji. Kenzaki had actually been separated from Neko. He ended up with Ryuji and Kotonoha, while Neko ended up with Makoto and Sekai. Kenzaki didn't like it for two reasons. One: he liked being with Neko. Two: he hated being with Ryuji. The two practiced opposing styles, it was obvious that the two wouldn't get along with each other. They could remain civil, but only to some extent and for both Kotonoha and Neko's sake. "Be lucky it isn't summer; then you'd have a really hard time explaining your 'exotic' skin color."

"Exotic? Nice way of putting freakish," retorted Kenzaki. His metallic silver skin really was a type of metal, the result of an accident that gave Kenzaki his powers. His metal body gave him a lot of power, but at the same time alienated him from everyone.

"You're not freakish," said Ryuji. "At least you were born normally."

"So, how was your date?" Kenzaki asked. "You didn't talk about it when you got back, which was pretty late."

"It wasn't so bad…but Koto-chan kept trying to make me smile more."

"How did that go?"

"I nearly broke my own face." Trying to crack an insincere smile had hurt.

"Sounds like fun," said Kenzaki. He and Neko had spent the day searching for info on their bounty, but came out empty. This guy was covering his tracks well. "At least you have a girl who's willing to put out…" muttered Kenzaki. He meant to say it under his breath, but Ryuji's hearing had picked it up.

"What was that?" he growled. "Are you implying my Koto-chan is a…"

"I meant nothing by it. I just think you're lucky to have a girl who feels so connected to you that she's willing to go all the way with you. I love Neko with all my heart, but we've been together for two years now and well…It's frustrating."

"She's not ready," huffed Ryuji. "Give Neko-nee time. Maybe she's waiting for marriage before she does it."

"I know, I know" said Kenzaki. "I told her I'm willing to wait for her, doesn't make it any easier."

"The waiting makes it worth it at the end," said Ryuji calmly.

"You sound a lot wiser than I gave you credit for," admired Kenzaki.

"Loki keeps telling me talk things out instead of going straight to fighting," Ryuji shrugged. "It works well enough. I use my words to scare people away."

"I don't think that was the idea…"

"It works, doesn't it?" Ryuji asked. "Oh, and here's our class." When he opened the door, he was suddenly glomped by his beautiful girlfriend. "Ohayo, Koto-chan."

* * *

Neko felt a little out of place since she was in school again. The last time had been so long ago and was just a memory. Still she loved the way Kenzaki stared at her when she showed off her uniform, which was the same type that Kotonoha sported. The skirt was a little too short but she liked it and so did he. The thigh high socks also seem to enhance her look. She let her hair out of its usual braid. Gekiryuken still hung around her neck.

As soon as she came into the door, she felt all eyes on her, especially from the boys and some curious look from the girls who were probably staring at her strange piece of jewelry (Gekiryuken). She didn't like the attention but as soon as they heard her surname was Hasuma, they retreated. '_Ryuji must have a reputation_,' she guessed. She ended up being seated where a girl named Setsuna Kiyoura once sat at. She looked behind her to see Makoto and Sekai looking. Obviously they were checking her out since she was the new girl. She adjusted the bowtie and took out a notebook, paying attention as the teacher started the lesson.

'_Wow_' thought Makoto, '_She's pretty cute…_'

* * *

'_Now I know why I never liked school_,' thought Kenzaki. '_It's a snore fest!_' He was seated behind Ryuji and he could see the other Rider was struggling to keep awake. '_And he feels the same_.'

Yesterday, Kenzaki and Neko had sat down for a little talk regarding their alliance with Ryuji. To make it work, Neko suggested that Kenzaki had to at least tolerate Ryuji, which he found impossible but then when Neko started pointing out their similarities (though he flat out denied them). He relented when he realized that Ryuji wasn't the enemy. They were on a job and had to act professionally. Besides, Ryuji was doing a fine job handling the Imagin in this world though Kenzaki would never admit it to his face.

As the teacher went on with this lecture, there was a sudden tremor, surprising some of the students. The teacher told them to remain calm since it was just a small one but then there were more and more tremors rocking through the classroom. Ryuji's eyes scanned the area as did Kenzaki. Kotonoha was frightened and immediately clutched onto Ryuji's arm.

**BOOM!**

The floor suddenly exploded, sending broken pieces of it flying and dust scattering. Ryuji waved away the dust clouding his vision and narrowed his eyes when he saw two figures. Two inhuman figures.

They were both wearing helmets with red goggles and sharp noses along with a sharp spike at the top. Over their blue clad bodies they wore sleeveless red coats. Their right hands were replaced by drills and Ryuji and Kenzaki instantly knew what they were…

Mole Imagin. One had a 'No. 1' on its coat while the other had a 'No. 2'.

* * *

In class 1-3, everything was in a panic as this…thing suddenly leapt out from the floor and started attacking. It was another Mole Imagin with a 'No. 3' on its own coat. It threw students aside like ragdolls as it made its way towards Neko. For some reason, this Imagin was targeting her.

"Die!" the Mole Imagin roared as it thrust its spinning drill to her face. Quicker than the eye could see, she tossed a small packet into the Imagin's face which broke and blinded it with white powder. She could see Sekai and Makoto were frozen so she ran up to them, grabbed them by the arms and dragged them with her out of the class while the Mole Imagin was recovering.

* * *

Otome and her girlfriends screamed as the Imagin made its way towards the students. The teacher had been knocked out when the piece of the floor dropped onto his head. The students cowered in fear as the Imagin looked at them menacingly.

Of course, the two Imagin were after two specific people, who were currently standing in their way.

"Koto-chan, we'll handle this. Get everyone out of here," Ryuji ordered.

Kenzaki cracked his knuckles, "This is gonna be fun."

Kotonoha nodded and while the two Mole Imagin were distracted she quickly led the rest of the class outside. Of course, the two Mole Imagin were more interested in these two.

"Why are you here?" Ryuji asked.

"What else?" asked Mole-1.

"To kill you," finished Mole-2.

"You take care of the ugly one, OK?" said Ryuji as he revealed his Pass and his belt appeared.

"Sure," replied Kenzaki. "First one that kills his opponent, wins," he challenged. He wrapped his belt around his waist.

Ryuji agreed, "You're on."

The two Mole Imagin, annoyed at being ignored, rushed at the two Riders.

"Henshin!"

* * *

Neko smirked as Gekiryuken turned into his sword form. Her classmates and teacher were all long gone by now, leaving her alone to deal with this. "Kill me?" she responded.

"You shouldn't be here," said Mole-3. "So, you must die!" He rushed towards her.

Neko rolled her eyes. "Let's see about that, shall we? Gekiryu Henshin!"

* * *

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

"**PREDATOR FORM!**"

Both Ryuji and Kenzaki transformed into their respective forms. Ifrit was the first to attack, leaping after Mole-1. Garoh attacked next, quickly slamming a rapid succession of punches into Mole-2. Mole-2 was sent flying by the strength and speed behind Garoh's punches.

* * *

Ryukendo was wailing on Mole-3, slashing at the Imagin with her sword rapidly and not allowing her opponent to fight back. It wasn't a stretch to say that she was upset.

Neko had always had a strong sense of hearing but when she'd heard Kenzaki…

'_Does he really want to do it so badly?_' she wondered mentally.

"Ojou-sama!" Gekiryuken alerted. "Look out!"

Ryukendo barely dodged a strike to the head but countered with a powerful kick to the Imagin's gut.

* * *

Ifrit's hands were engulfed in blue flames before he formed his Ifrit Dao. As for Garoh, he'd configured his Gasher into the axe formation and using his new weapon to hack away at Mole-2. Ifrit and Mole-1 were exchanging blows as they went up the steps and jumped onto the highest desk. Mole-1 had its drill spinning and thrusting it at the Rider who kept dodging before countering with vicious slash attacks.

As for Mole-2, the Imagin was being thrashed by Garoh's strength. The fusion between Kenzaki and Garoh brought about this transformation which was powerful both offensively and defensively.

"Time to take this outside, needle-nose," quipped Ifrit as he grabbed his opponent by the nose ad dragged it towards the window. He then leapt through the glass.

**CRASH!**

Pieces of shattered glass rained onto the ground as Ifrit landed with Mole-1. The students who'd evacuated the building earlier were being treated to a show. Ifrit grimaced, '_Idiots! They should be running away!_' What he got instead was the entire student body cheering him on and the 'Kamen Rider Ifrit Fanclub' holding up a banner with his image on it, shouting loudly. The teachers were keeping them at bay.

Mole-1 suddenly leapt up and then dove into the ground. It used its drill to dig himself a hole and disappear into the ground. Alarmed, Ifrit looked around to try and sense his opponent. "Come out, you…" Ifrit growled, gripping his swords.

The ground behind him suddenly exploded and he spun around to get a fistful of dirt in the visor before Mole-1 started to strike him hard with the drill. Sparks flew as he screamed, dropping his weapons as Mole-1 grabbed Ifrit by the shoulder tightly to drill in deeper into his armor. Ifrit gritted his teeth as unbelievable pain ran through his body.

'_Ryuji-kun!_' Kotonoha was scared. Her boyfriend was getting killed and she could do nothing.

**CRASH!**

"!"

Mole-2 was suddenly seen flying through the air, right out of the window, and slammed into Mole-1. This freed Ifrit from his torment as Garoh ran towards him and helped him up.

"**Are you okay?**" Garoh asked with a mixture of Kenzaki and Byakko's voices. Garoh placed his hand onto Ifrit's shoulder only to have it slapped away.

Ifrit grunted, "Mind your own business." His entire body glowed with ice cold Ki. "Time to get serious."

* * *

Back with Kamen Rider Ryukendo and the 3rd Mole Imagin, the class had seen better days as most of the furniture had been wrecked by the two fighting. Still, neither side would let up. Ryukendo guarded herself with hr arm mounted shield as she slashed at the Imagin with Gekiryuken. She then stabbed at Mole-3 but it managed to dodge to the side before diving into the ground and digging a hole. Ryukendo looked down into the hole an then heard the ground behind her explode as the Imagin leapt at her. She spun on her heels, dodging the overhead strike and then bringing down her blade to slash onto the Imagin's side as it came down.

"Ojou-sama, it's time to finish this!" said Gekiryuken.

"Yes, but not here!" said Ryukendo. The Imagin charged at her and struck with its drill but she stepped backwards to avoid the attack, barely, before stabbing it in the gut with her sword. "Outside!" She then ran straight for the wall with her opponent before smashing right through the wall. She kicked the Mole Imagin off her sword and then found herself outside with Garoh and Ifrit who were still fighting their own Mole Imagin.

"Glad you could make it," said Ifrit as he noticed a few of the students taking snapshots of the new Rider with their cell phones. They had been taking pictures since the start of the fight.

"Let's just finish this!" Ryukendo said irritably as she gripped her Keyblade. "Gekiryuken! Ryuou Raimei Giri!" The blade of her sword glowed yellow and crackled with arches of electricity.

Garoh tossed his opponent away before he produced his Pass and swiped it over his belt buckle. "**FULL CHARGE!**" Energy leapt off his belt and into his axe as he tossed the Pass away.

Ifrit got some distance between him and his own opponent. He tossed the Dao in his left hand into the air before pressing the switch on his belt. "**FULL CHARGE!**" The energy arched around him before going into his weapon, causing the blade to glow.

Ryukendo shouted and then charged at Mole-3 before landing an electrified blow to its body. Garoh had jumped upwards with his axe before coming back down to slice Mole-2 straight down the middle. Finally, Ifrit caught his Dao in his left hand and threw it at the Imagin swiftly. The edge of the blade imbedded itself into the Imagin's chest before he skated towards his opponent along a sheet of ice that suddenly appeared under his feet and Mole-1's. He gripped the embedded Dao's handle before swiping down with it, slashing the Imagin across the chest before using his other Dao to stab it in the stomach resulting in its entire body being frozen over in ice.

The Mole Imagin that Ryukendo and Garoh finished off let out screams of anguish before they exploded in fiery blazes. The one that Ifrit defeated shattered into a million pieces as soon as he withdrew his sword. The cheers of the entire student body were almost deafening. Using the smoke to cover their tracks, the trio left the scene.

* * *

Several minutes later, the police came to take statements and there were paramedics treating any of the wounded. Taisuke was going on and on about how awesome Kamen Rider Ifrit while talking with Sekai and Makoto as the fanclub started discussing on new posters and T-shirts to support their idol and the two new Riders on the scene. Otome was with her own group of friend, obviously fawning over the three Riders. They didn't know Ryukendo was female because of the armor. Inconspicuously, the three Riders had reverted back to human form and joined the rest of the students without rousing suspicion.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried when she ran into him and hugged him tight. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said with a hand on the spot where the Imagin had tried to drill through him. "Nothing I can't handle."

She sighed, relieved, before kissing him.

Of course, another couple wasn't so happy.

"Ken-kun," began Neko.

"Hai, Neko?" asked Kenzaki.

"We need to have a talk, _now,_" she said. Kenzaki gulped. When a girl said she needed to talk, it wasn't good. "Come with me."

"OK," Kenzaki nodded as he followed the girl to the back of the building where they could talk in private.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Well, I heard you talking to Ifrit-chan," said Neko. Automatically, Kenzaki's breath caught in his throat. He knew what Neko meant. "'At least you have a girl who's willing to put out'," she repeated his words before turning to face him, asking, "Do you really feel that way?"

Kenzaki was silent for a moment. He couldn't really look at Neko right now. "Hai…" he finally said. With that Neko nearly burst into tears. "Neko…"

"Is that all you really want from me? Is it!"

"No! Of course not!" said Kenzaki. "I love you for you, Neko. Not just your body."

"So that is what you want!" cried Neko.

"What! No! I mean…Argh!" growled Kenzaki. "All I said is that it's frustrating! We've been dating for two years! _Two years_! A guy gets…a little frustrated when this kind of thing happens." '_It doesn't help that she has a smoking hot body and likes sleeping in the same bed as me._' "I love you Neko, more than anything else in the world. You know that. And nothing can change that, nothing at all."

Neko turned away from him, eyes screwed shut as tears started to flow from them. She balled her fists as she shook.

"Neko…" he reached over but his hand was slapped away.

"I need to be alone," she finally said as she walked past him. "I'll see you at home." She didn't even look him in the eye.

Kenzaki just stood there as she left him. For a few minutes he didn't make a move until je gripped his hair before shouting and punching the wall, hard. He spoke, "What is wrong with me? I can't even keep my comments to myself! Now I probably lost her!"

"She's upset," said Ryuji as he walked over. "It happens." Kenzaki then turned to look at him just in time to receive a fist to the face. Kenzaki was on the ground with a bleeding nose as Ryuji flicked his wrist.

"OK, I know I deserve that," Kenzaki said as he wiped his nose.

"Neko-nee is as much my sister as she is Ryuki's," stated Ryuji. "So, I have every right to defend her honor."

Kenzaki sighed. "I screwed up, huh?"

"Girls don't like it when you talk about 'putting out'," said Ryuji. "Sex has to be pleasurable for both partners and it helps when both are in love."

"It's easy for you to say," Kenzaki said as he stood up. "You did it after a few months."

"Our first time was on Christmas night in a hotel," said Ryuji. "What I'm trying to say is the first time has to be special. Maybe she's waiting for the right time."

"But-"

"It's been 2 years," Ryuji finished. "What's wrong with waiting any longer?"

Kenzaki leaned back against the wall before sliding down to the ground. "Well, it was fun while it lasted," said Kenzaki.

"What do you mean?" questioned Ryuji curiously.

Kenzaki answered, "I think my life with Neko's over. I mean, let's face it. Our relationship wasn't really based on a solid foundation. She refuses to believe that I don't blame her for what happened to my family, and I tried to kill her." He scoffed and said sarcastically, "Yeah, great way to start a relationship and show how much you love someone." Kenzaki rested his head in his hand. He let out a deep sigh. He then stood up and walked off. Ryuji watched the other Rider walk of dejectedly. As much as he disliked Kenzaki, he couldn't help but sympathize.

* * *

The school had to be closed after the Imagin attack. No way could they continue with holes in the floor, broken desks, shattered windows and several injured students. Currently, Neko was depressed and her only company was Gekiryuken.

"Ojou-sama, are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she said, hurt. "I know Ken-kun wants to do it, but…"

"You're not sure if you want to pursue a physical relationship," he deduced. She nodded. "Maybe if you let him explain…"

"Are you taking his side now?" she snapped, clutching Gekiryuken tightly.

"No, it's just…" Gekiryuken paused. "I guess you don't want to talk about him."

"Not at the moment," she confessed. "Well, it's still early and school let us out already. I might as well do something to pass the time."

* * *

Both Ryuji and Kotonoha returned to his apartment, welcomed by their respective Imagin partners. The girl wore a worried expression on her face after her boyfriend had told her what'd happened to his sister and her own boyfriend. They both sat on the couch discussing things as Loki went to the kitchen to make some tea and get some cookies for the couple to snack on.

"Will they be alright?" asked Kotonoha.

"Kenzaki's tough and my sister has Gekiryuken," assured Ryuji. "They can take care of themselves."

"I know, but I can't help but worry. We should help them patch things up," she suggested.

"Perhaps," he partly agreed, "But let's give them some space first. They need to sort out their emotions."

"But it would be terrible for them to break up. They've been together for two years," Kotonoha said, recalling what Ryuji had told her about Neko and Kenzaki's relationship.

"It wasn't exactly like a bed of roses for them when it started," Ryuji frowned. "It wasn't love at first sight for them. They had to build their relationship on some really shaky foundation."

"How did they meet?" Kotonoha asked. Ryuji shook his head.

"It's not my story to tell," he said. "For now, let's just relax, OK?"

"I guess," Kotonoha said solemnly as Ryuji wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close against his chest. As cold as he was because of his powers, he could be warm on some rare occasions, like now.

"It's aright…" he assured her. He felt her hand on the spot where the drill had nearly pierced right through him. "Koto-chan?" She trembled. "Koto-chan?"

"When I saw you getting drilled and screaming, I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you," she said.

"I'm still here, Koto-chan," he said, trying to comfort her. "I'm not going anywhere…"

"I don't know what I would do if you died," she sniffled.

'_I do_,' Ryuji thought, recalling what Ryan had shown them. Seeing Kotonoha's eyes so lifeless frightened him. He didn't want her to lose her mind because of him. "I swear that I won't leave you."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, please stop crying."

* * *

Neko poked at the fish she had ordered. It seemed that even her favorite food wasn't helping her feel better.

She felt really confused at the moment. She had heard that Kenzaki wanted to have sex with her, but it sounded like it was something he was really looking forward to. Neko had to admit that the thought was tempting, but it sounded like he was hoping for it to go like Kotonoha and Ryuji would do it. In short terms, apparently like rabbits when they got the chance.

Again, the thought was tempting. She had seen Kenzaki without a shirt and she liked what she saw. Still, her mama had told her the facts of life and consequences. She wanted the first time to be special but Kenzaki seemed to want it as soon as possible.

"Why do boys have to be such jerks?" Neko mumbled.

"So they can find the right woman to keep them in line, Ojou-sama," Gekiryuken answered from his necklace position.

Neko giggled a little. She had to admit to that too. Kenzaki would have gotten his butt kicked or fired so many times if she wasn't there to calm him down.

* * *

Kenzaki was walking through the GaroLiner. As he walked through the Dining Car, he was greeted by looks from his fellow teammates. They were confused for two reasons. One: the absence of Neko, and Two: the mixed look of anger and sadness on Kenzaki's face. "I'll be in my room. No one is to bother me. _No one,_" he said.

"What about Neko?" asked Kumiko.

"…" Kenzaki stopped and stood silently for a moment. "I said no one. Besides, I doubt Neko will be looking for me any time soon," and with that said Kenzaki teleported into his room.

* * *

**Kenzaki and Neko are having relationship issues. This is so not good, especially since they still have a bounty to hunt. Hope things don't get any worse for these characters.**


	2. In Hot Water

Neko poked at the fish she had ordered. It seemed that even her favorite food wasn't helping her feel better.

She felt really confused at the moment. She had heard that Kenzaki wanted to have sex with her, but it sounded like it was something he was really looking forward to. Neko had to admit that the thought was tempting, but it sounded like he was hoping for it to go like Kotonoha and Ryuji would do it. In short terms, apparently like rabbits when they got the chance.

Again, the thought was tempting. She had seen Kenzaki without a shirt and she liked what she saw. Still, her mama had told her the facts of life and consequences. She wanted the first time to be special but Kenzaki seemed to want it as soon as possible.

"Why do boys have to be such jerks?" Neko mumbled.

"So they can find the right woman to keep them in line, Ojou-sama," Gekiryuken answered from his necklace position.

Neko giggled a little. She had to admit to that too. Kenzaki would have gotten his butt kicked or fired so many times if she wasn't there to calm him down.

* * *

Kenzaki was walking through the GaroLiner. As he walked through the Dining Car, he was greeted by looks from his fellow teammates. They were confused for two reasons. One: the absence of Neko, and Two: the mixed look of anger and sadness on Kenzaki's face. "I'll be in my room. No one is to bother me. _No one,_" he said.

"What about Neko?" asked Kumiko.

"…" Kenzaki stopped and stood silently for a moment. "I said no one. Besides, I doubt Neko will be looking for me any time soon," and with that said Kenzaki teleported into his room.

* * *

"**IN HOT WATER"**

* * *

Neko had returned to the apartment and caught Ryuji and Kotonoha making out on the couch. When she finally caught their attention, they separated with their faces flushed.

"Hey, Ifrit-chan, can I borrow Kotonoha-chan for a bit?" asked Neko nicely.

"Sure," nodded Ryuji as he stood up. "I just remembered that I need a shower." '_A cold shower._' He walked off, leaving the two girls alone. Loki was out in disguise doing some grocery shopping.

Neko sat down next to Kotonoha who was fixing up her clothes and hair. Neko decided to strike up a conversation so she asked, "Kotonoha-chan, can you tell me how you first met Athena?"

Kotonoha blinked at the sudden question. "Ano…why?"

"Just curious," said Neko. "I mean I'm really bored and I could use a story, if you don't mind."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," smiled Kotonoha. She then told Neko how it began. "It wasn't long after Ryuji-kun came back when I first met Athena..."

* * *

"_Katsura, can we talk?" asked Otome as she approached Kotonoha, without her usual posse for a change. It was lunch time and Ryuji had to go to the bathroom. _

"_Hai, Katou-san?" responded Kotonoha nervously. Otome frowned a bit at this but she had to…needed to do this. "What is it?"_

"_I'd like to…" Otome began. "I'd like to…" She hesitated._

"_Hai?"_

_Otome bowed deeply and said, "I'd like to apologize for the way I've been treating you!"_

_Kotonoha was surprised at this. "What?"_

_Otome stood up straight and rubbed her right arm nervously. "I'd like to apologize for how I, and my friends, have been bullying you." She appeared uncomfortable about this but not insincere. She didn't, however, look Kotonoha in the eye. "It wasn't fair of me either to give all my work to you. I'm supposed to be the Assistant Class Rep so I had to do my part too."_

"_Why did you?" asked Kotonoha. "Why did you treat me that way?"_

"_Well," Otome sighed. "I think maybe because I was a little jealous of you."_

"_Jealous?" Kotonoha blinked._

_Otome closed her eyes. "You're rich and you have a really nice figure. I kinda had the feeling you thought you were better than us all. I guess I never really took the time to get to know you." The bullying was also an outlet for her frustration._

"_I see." Kotonoha asked curiously, "What brought this along?" She then concluded, "Is this because of Ryuji-kun?"_

_Otome shivered at hearing the name. Ryuji had demanded everyone refer to him by his surname or even as 'Hasuma-sama'. To say he was full of himself was an understatement. He scared a lot of people, Otome included, and it still surprised her that he and Kotonoha were dating._

"_Are you doing this because you are afraid of Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha asked._

"_Well…a little bit," Otome admitted. "But mostly because we've both been hurt by Itou. We got that in common at least. I can understand if you can't forgive me. The stuff I did, there really isn't an excuse, and…"_

"_I forgive you," said Kotonoha. Otome was surprised and turned to look at her._

"_What?"_

"_I forgive you," Kotonoha said with a smile. _

_Otome was shocked. Kotonoha could forgive her so easily. "But…but…"_

"_You sound sincere, so I'll forgive you," sad Kotonoha. _

"_Thanks," Otome finally smiled, "And I'll try my best to be a better assistant Class Rep from now on…If you'd let me…"_

"_I don't know…" Kotonoha hesitated. "Ryuji-kun's been helping me with the matters of the class and the Student Council."_

"_He has?" Otome blinked. "Even the…"_

"_Surprisingly, he's good with paperwork."_

_Otome didn't seem convinced, "He doesn't seem the type. I mean his grades are…average."_

"_Well, he has other skills," Kotonoha defended._

"_Well, maybe I could just resign," said Otome, "I mean I got stuff to do on the basketball team too. Hasuma doesn't belong to a club, right?"_

"_No, he doesn't. He says it gets in the way of his napping time," Kotonoha giggled._

"_Napping time…gotcha," Otome winked. "Well, I'll be going now…" Otome walked out of class and Kotonoha watched her exit with a smile._

* * *

"_You did what!" shouted Natsumi after Otome told her friends of what she did. "What were you thinking, apologizing to her!"_

"_Look, it's not worth it, OK?" said Otome. They were in the cafeteria._

"_But how could you?" Kumi questioned. "It was fun."_

"_Can't you see?" Natsumi sneered, "It's because she's afraid of Hasuma."_

"_No," Otome denied. "I'm just saying we should just stop since it's not worth the trouble."_

"_Whatever," said Natsumi in disgust, "You bow down to Katsura and all because she's got that thug Hasuma backing her up."_

_Minami defended, "I think Otome's doing the right thing here."_

"_Oh, shut up you doormat!" snapped Natsumi. "You're just too obedient to think for yourself, like a little dog!"_

"_I am not!" Minami retorted._

"_Listen, girls…" began Otome but Natsumi glared at her. She the stomped off. "Where are you going?" questioned Otome._

"_To put that little bitch in her place. Let's go, girls!" said Natsumi. Kumi and Minami stood up, gave Otome a brief glance, before exiting the cafeteria after Natsumi. Otome sighed._

"_This will not end well…"_

* * *

_Kotonoha was on her way to meet Ryuji on the roof when Natsumi shouted, "Hey, Katsura!" Kotonoha turned to see Otome's friends looking at her. Natsumi seemed cross while both Kumi and Minami wore neutral gazes. _

"_Hai?" Kotonoha responded which only further pissed off Natsumi. None of them noticed an orb of golden light hovering outside._

"_You little bitch," growled Natsumi as she walked over to Kotonoha. She poked the girl in the chest. "Because of you and your bastard boyfriend, Otome's cowering at your feet. I hope you're happy."_

_Kotonoha didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it whenever anyone talked about her boyfriend like that. "Don't call Ryuji-kun a bastard…" Kumi and Minami were surprised by Kotonoha's defiance. This just further incensed Natsumi._

"_What was that?" demanded Natsumi as she grabbed Kotonoha roughly by the arms. "I dare you to say that again!"_

_The golden orb then darted through the window and into Kotonoha's body. She gasped as sand spilled from her sleeves. The other girls didn't notice this happening, however._

"_Let me go…" a voice came from Kotonoha's lips._

"_What?" Natsumi said in fury before, shockingly, Kotonoha reared her head back and slammed her forehead into a Natsumi's face. Natsumi recoiled in pain and shock as Kumi and Minami gasped. The two girls looked at Kotonoha in surprise._

_Kotonoha now stood confidently as she dusted off her sleeves. Her hair was now done up in a ponytail with green streaks in it and she wore an angry and arrogant expression on her face. "Don't ever touch me. You are beneath me, so know your place."_

_Natsumi's eyes narrowed. 'How dare she?' "You bitch!" She swung her right arm at Kotonoha to slap her but her arm was caught at the wrist by Kotonoha's right hand. "Let me go!" Kotonoha of course didn't and Natsumi got the shock of her life knocked into her when Kotonoha punched her right in the left eye. Natsumi screamed as she fell backwards when Kotonoha let go of her wrist. Kumi and Minami were stunned._

"_Any other takers?" Kotonoha smirked as she cracked her knuckles._

"_Get her!" Natsumi ordered, a bruise forming around her eye._

"_But, Natsumi," Kumi began to protest._

"_Shut up and do what I say!" Natsumi snapped, causing both her friends to flinch. They went to get Kotonoha but their intended victim fought back and gave them both black eyes for their trouble._

"_You want some more?" said Kotonoha as she crossed her arms under her bosom. Kumi and Minami shivered before they grabbed Natsumi who started yelling in protest as they ran off. "Cheh, cowards."_

'_Who…who are you?' questioned Kotonoha from within her head. 'Are you…'_

'_Kotonoha' replied, "Yes, I am an Imagin, Lady Kotonoha. You may call me Athena."_

'_Athena…that's a lovely name,' said Kotonoha._

"_Well, let's go see your man," said A-Kotonoha. "From what I can see in your memories, he's the one you love. Of course, I still think you can do better."_

'_He's on the roof,' said Kotonoha._

"_I know."_

* * *

_Ryuji was sitting on the roof, atop a white and red checkered blanket. He checked his watch, "Where could she be?"_

'_Maybe she had an errand to run?' suggested Loki, his Imagin partner, telepathically. 'She is part of the student council.'_

"_She would've texted me," said Ryuji as he looked down at his phone. He heard footsteps and looked up to see A-Kotonoha walking towards him but then he frowned when she sat down on the blanket on folded knees. A-Kotonoha noticed Ryuji glaring at her._

"_What?" A-Kotonoha asked._

_Ryuji growled, "Get out of my girlfriend you damn Imagin!"_

"_How dare you speak to me like that, you male?" the Imagin who'd taken possession of Kotonoha retorted, angered by Ryuji's disrespect._

"_I dare because you're in Koto-chan and I want you out!" He couldn't hurt Kotonoha, but maybe he could scare this Imagin out of her._

_A-Kotonoha snorted but then received a request from Kotonoha. She sighed, "Very well…" Sand soon spilled out of Kotonoha's body before pilling up next to her. The sand then formed into a humanoid shape which filled in with color. Standing there was an Imagin, with a complete physical body._

_It was a humanoid female figure clad in a green armored top that left her stomach bare and matching shorts. She had spiked shoulder pads and green gauntlets and boots. Her skin was tanned and she had a skirt of feathers around her waist and golden bracelets and anklets. Her hawk-like helmet covered her entire head and left the lower half of her face and mouth exposed. She had green hawk-like eyes and a frown on her face. A sword was in a holster at her hip. For an Imagin, she was sure attractive._

"_Koto-chan, I warned you to never make a wish if an Imagin somehow possessed you," hissed Ryuji._

"_But I didn't make a wish!" said Kotonoha._

"_Actually, you did, when that girl was harassing you," said Athena. "In your mind, you wished you could be strong."_

"_A girl was harassing her?" growled Ryuji. "Was it Katou?"_

"_No, it was some of her friends," answered Athena as she kneeled next to Kotonoha. "They didn't like how their leader had forsaken them so they tried to deal with Lady Kotonoha themselves. Of course they hadn't expected me to appear and help."_

"_And do you have a name?" asked Ryuji._

"_I am known as Athena, the Amazon Imagin," said Athena as she locked eyes with Ryuji. "And Lady Kotonoha's protector from this day forth."_

_Suddenly, a red haze of energy flew out of Ryuji and formed into Loki, who was kneeling next to Ryuji. As usual, he had his black robe on and hood up, the cloth mask covering the lower half of his face and his long horns sticking out from his forehead. He bowed respectfully. "Welcome, Miss Athena. I am Loki, Ryuji's partner." He then produced a box of cookies with a cartoony version of his face on the lid. "Would you like some cookies?"_

* * *

Kotonoha continued, "Athena and Ryuji-kun didn't get along very well at first."

"Well, she is an Amazon," reasoned Neko. "It's in her nature."

"But, there's more to it than that. You see, Koizumi-san didn't like how I stood up to her so she…"

"She made a wish with an Imagin?" Neko finished. Kotonoha nodded.

"And that's when Athena did something neither of us would expect."

* * *

_The Lobster Imagin had long antennae and red shall armor covering its body. It was armed with pincer claws as it slashed Ifrit across the chest. "Kuso…" Ifrit swore._

_Kotonoha stood at a safe distance, watching the fight with worry. "Ryuji-kun…" she whimpered._

_Athena appeared at her side, "Lady Kotonoha, you wish for me to assist your male consort?"_

_Kotonoha gave Athena a pleading look. "Please…"_

"_I shall help him!" said Athena firmly before she flew into the battle. She slashed the Lobster Imagin across the back and then whirled him around to kick him hard in the chest before giving a few quick slashed with her sword. She the rushed over to Ifrit and helped him up._

"_You decided to help," Ifrit stated._

"_It was a request from Lady Kotonoha," said Athena and she could see Ifrit was trembling. "You're injured."_

"_I'm…fine…" said Ifrit. He was in pain, which was true, but he wasn't going to back down from a fight nor had her ever retreated._

"_The Lady would not forgive me if I allow you to perish, so I shall lend you my strength." Athena turned into an orb of green light and entered Ifrit's body, much to his shock._

"_What are you doing!" shouted Ifrit when all of a sudden a ticket materialized in his right hand with Athena's image on it along with the date she'd possessed Kotonoha. "Huh?"_

'_Swipe it over your belt buckle,' ordered Athena. 'NOW!'_

_He wanted to argue but well he didn't have the strength and besides, Kotonoha wanted her to help and he couldn't reject it. He was whipped, true, but he was glad he was with Kotonoha. He quickly swiped the ticket over his pass, the emblem glowing as it scanned the ticket, before the ticket vanished._

"_**AMAZON FORM!**__"_

_Ifrit's visor vanished as his armor changed. First, the chest armor, arm armor, leg armor, gauntlets and boots all changed to green. The blue bodysuit turned brown and new shoulder plates shaped like wings snapped on. A new blue visor shaped like a hawk's beak slid over his faceplate and snapped on before a pair of wings flanked his head. Ifrit, now in a new Amazon Form, looked towards the recovering Lobster Imagin._

"_**Know your place!**__" shouted Ifrit, in a voice combination of his and Athena's, before he charged at his opponent._

* * *

"Together, they managed to defeat the Imagin, but Ryuji-kun is still angry at Athena for hijacking his body like that," giggled Kotonoha.

"I can imagine why," Neko nodded.

* * *

**Several Days Later…**

It'd been several days since the argument Kenzaki and Neko both had and well things weren't getting any better. The school, of course, had been repaired and in record time too with the holes sealed up with cements until new tiles could be ordered. Desks had to be replaced but it was a small price to pay.

Neko had been staying over at Ryuji's and had been trying to get a hold of Kenzaki but with no success. Was he avoiding her? She wondered why? Even when she got onto the GaroLiner, she couldn't get him to come out of the room. She just felt so horrible inside. She was afraid. What if…what if the 2 year long relationship they'd enjoyed was over?

She didn't want that! Anything but that! She was feeling immeasurable guilt, thinking it was all her fault that Kenzaki was avoiding her.

Kotonoha did her best to comfort Neko and the female Rider also befriended Sekai and her friends too.

Kenzaki didn't come to school when it'd opened back up again. She wanted to see him and at least talk but still there was no success. And, aside from that, they still didn't have any clues on their A-Class Jumper. The good news was there hadn't been any Imagin attacks but that didn't mean they'd just stopped. Sooner or later, an Imagin would attack.

While Neko believed that their relationship was ending because of her, Kenzaki thought their relationship was already over, because of him. He felt that he'd pushed Neko too far, and now she didn't care anymore. He had been avoiding her. He was doing this because he was afraid that if he saw her, she'd confirm his worst fears. He heard a knock at his door. "Go away," he growled.

"It is I, Kenzaki-sama!" said Byakko proudly.

"Good for you," Kenzaki said sarcastically. "Now go away." He heard the sound of footsteps leaving. Then he heard them charging at the door. It exploded when Byakko slammed his shoulder into the door. The door flew across the room. Byakko entered followed by Okami, both carrying ropes. They quickly tied Kenzaki up, thought it had taken a lot of work because of his struggling. "Let me go!" Okami quickly duct taped Kenzaki's mouth before Byakko lifted him up.

"We are sorry, Kenzaki-sama," said Byakko.

"I'm not. This is the most fun I've had all week," grinned Okami.

"Neko-sama has asked us to take you to Katsura-san's family's onsen," said Byakko.

Kenzaki let out a series of muffled sounds. Loosely translated he had said, "You're supposed to listen to me, not Neko!"

Okami snorted, "Yeah, well, Kumiko-Kowai has been bitching as us to get rid of you and bring you to see Neko. I'll do anything to shut her up."

Again a series of muffled sounds. This time he said, "I'll kill you all."

"Let's see you try," Okami taunted.

* * *

Kotonoha had invited Ryuji and Neko along to the onsen, with Athena and Loki riding within their bodies. Much to Ryuji's chagrin, however, Kotonoha had invited along Taisuke Sawanaga, Makoto Itou, Otome Katou, Sekai Saionji, Nanami Kanroji, and Hikari Kuroda. He didn't mind Hikari or Nanami, but he really didn't want anything to do with Makoto, Taisuke, Sekai and Otome for obvious reasons. He was just amazed at how forgiving his girlfriend could be. Well, at least Kotonoha brought along her little sister, Kokoro, which was another person in this world that he actually liked.

"You'll love it," said Kotonoha. "It's really relaxing."

Neko nodded and sighed sadly. She hadn't been her usual upbeat self since the fight she had with Kenzaki. Ryuji frowned but he really couldn't say anything that could solve this problem.

Kotonoha was wealthy, so it was logical that she'd gotten them transportation to get to the onsen. Two minivans would be taking them there; one for the boys and the other for the girls. As such, the ride for the boys had been less than comfortable since Taisuke and Makoto were in close proximity with Ryuji. Taisuke remembered the beating he'd gotten from Ryuji and as for Makoto, Ryuji just plain scared him. The temperature in the vehicle had dropped considerably the entire trip.

As for the girls, conversation was struck among them. Otome and Kotonoha had gotten along a little but since a few months ago since the Katou girl no longer wished to raise Ryuji's ire and bullying Kotonoha just wasn't worth it. And, well, could she really bully a girl who'd given her own friends black eyes? It'd surprised her to see Kotonoha stand up for herself for a change and opened her eyes. What Otome didn't know was that Athena had been in control at the time. Neko was silent but when Hikari wanted to know about her necklace, she told her that it was a family heirloom, passed down to her for safe keeping.

"It looks a little weird," said Otome. "Your family likes dragons or something?" asked Otome.

"It's in the family crest," answered Neko. "To us dragons are sacred."

"Wow," Kokoro admired. "That sounds amazing." Neko smiled at the young girl. So innocent.

"Well, anyway, did you guys check out the new Kamen Rider Ifrit posters and merchandise?" said Hikari as she held up a keychain with a Chibi-fied version of Ifrit on it. Neko giggled at the representation. "I just got this before we left. It's brand new!"

"Like all the other keychains you got stashed at home?" Nanami said.

Hikari blushed. "Well…"

"What do you think of Ifrit, Hasuma-san?" Sekai asked.

"Well, he's good, but what about those two other Riders?" Neko said.

"You mean the one that looks like a tiger and that dragon one?" Sekai questioned.

* * *

Taisuke had a magazine open and Ryuji blanched when he saw that Kamen Rider Ifrit, Garoh and Ryukendo were on the cover and that Taisuke was reading an article about the Riders.

"These guys are awesome!" Taisuke said. "Right, Makoto?"

"Right," Makoto nodded. He wasn't much for hero worship but he wouldn't forget the time Ifrit had rescued them. "Wonder who the other two are, though."

Ryuji knew, but he wasn't telling. If he did that then things would be difficult to explain. Of course, it wasn't like he was going to talk to these two.

'_Ryuji, it seems your admirers have grown_,' said Loki in Ryuji's head.

"Urusei," muttered Ryuji. He wasn't in the mood to talk. He was still angry at Kenzaki for making his sister all depressed. He wanted to teach the guy a lesson but couldn't find anyway to do so since he didn't have a way into the GaroLiner. Well, Neko did but she wasn't going to give it to him, though.

* * *

Before the group reached the onsen, Kenzaki was dropped off right in front of the door by the GaroLiner. His roped had been undone and dumped at his side was his luggage. "Stupid Okami," he muttered and then he turned to see a pair of vans roll by.

The vans stopped and the group came out but when Neko came out, Kenzaki froze. Ryuji also saw Kenzaki and growled.

"Ah, Tsukuba-san," said Kotonoha. "You came."

"Like I had a choice," mumbled Kenzaki. He eyed Neko from the corner of his eye.

"Well, let's just check in," said Ryuji. "I want a nice relaxing soak." He was behind Kotonoha and then leaned down to whisper something in her ear, causing her to blush.

"Not in front of others!" she giggled as she gently slapped his shoulder.

"Heh, they won't be in the water forever," Ryuji smiled before gently nipping her ear. Kotonoha shuddered in desire and tried hard not to moan or make any kind of noise. She didn't want to embarrass herself, no matter how good it felt. Although a part of her certainly felt smug about how unafraid her boyfriend was in showing he cared and desired her.

Over with Sekai and Makoto, the best friend of Kotonoha sighed as she watched her best friend and her boyfriend flirt.

"Why don't you do that with me?" Sekai asked with a cute pout pointed at Makoto.

"Uhhhh…I, Uh," Makoto gulped. It wasn't enough that Ryuji hated his guts for that incident a couple months ago, but now he was proving to be a better boyfriend? Sometimes his life sucked.

Neko felt a stab of jealousy at Kotonoha. Ken-kun never acted like that with her in public. Sure, they would hold hands and he would hug her close. He'd never just hug her from behind like that and whisper sexual stuff in her ear. She wanted to know what that felt like.

'_Thank you for raising the bar for us all!_' Kenzaki mentally cursed, seeing all the girls look on at the couple with jealousy and growing arousal.

Kotonoha and Ryuji led the way as the others followed them into the building, Kenzaki walking in last.

Kenzaki was silently wondering how far he'd be able to run before the others realized he was gone. He was scared right now. He'd never admit it, but it was true. He was scared because he felt like he was going to lose Neko. That was the one thing in the world that he just couldn't deal with. He wanted everything to be OK between him and Neko, but he didn't know if she felt the same.

"C'mon, everybody!" Kokoro called as she lugged her bag along. "I wanna see the hot spring!"

"The little girl has a point," Otome agreed as she picked up her bag. "We'd better get going if we want to get to the springs!"

There was a general chorus of agreement as everybody followed them inside. Of course, Kotonoha made sure she was still wrapped in Ryuji's arms. Taisuke and Makoto just made sure that they stayed out of Ryuji's sight, or at least out of striking distance.

* * *

Once everyone was checked in, the girls were located into a grand suite which had enough room. They were all excited about the trip since they had never or rarely been to a hot spring before. Many of them were chatting excitedly, guessing what it would be like.

"Hot springs feel really good," Kotonoha smiled brightly. "I find it really relaxing."

"I bet you do," Otome teased. "So, are you going to be sharing a spring with Hasuma? I bet he would like that."

"Ah!" Kotonoha gasped before she blushed. Her face was doing a nice impression of a tomato.

"Oooooh! A romantic date together with your boyfriend, Onee-chan?" Kokoro giggled. "What are you going to do with him?"

All the girls in the room blushed in the implication. Kotonoha was the reddest of them all. None of the other girls knew she had already gone all the way with her boyfriend. If they did find out, they would either tease her or ask for details. Of course, Kotonoha would never reveal details since she considered those acts to be something special between the two of them. That didn't mean she couldn't feel at least a little smug about such a loving boyfriend though.

* * *

"Oi," Ryuji snapped as he put his suitcase down. Taisuke and Makoto stiffened in fear as they turned to face the irate boy. "If you two are going to pussyfoot around me, do it where I can't see you. Jeez, what is your problem?"

"What is my problem?" Taisuke cried out loudly. He pointed at Ryuji accusingly as he started to rant. "You beat the crap out of me during the school festival, why shouldn't I be scared of you?"

"You had it coming, you pervert!" Ryuji snapped. "After what you tried to do to Koto-chan you should be glad I didn't do worse!"

"I was just confessing my love!" Taisuke cried out. "A little kiss is no big deal! You get them from Katsura-san all the time!"

"And I suppose her clothes got torn by accident?" Ryuji growled. "You tried to take her by force!"

The room began to get colder and Makoto was trembling against the wall comically. He was trying very hard to avoid getting seen by Ryuji and was silently whispering prayers for Taisuke's soul. The idiotic boy seemed to be unaware that he was on the verge of death yet.

"Now, are you gonna get out of my face or do I have to remove yours?" Ryuji growled.

Taisuke gulped, seeing a monstrous glare in his fellow student's eyes. Deciding that he'd rather live than win, he bolted from the room like a little sissy.

"Hey, Itou," Ryuji sighed, earning a frightened squeak from Makoto. "You got something to say?"

"Uh…no!" Makoto gulped. "You're right to hate me. I JUST DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Baka!" Ryuji snapped as he bopped Makoto over the head. "I'm not going to kill you, stupid! There's nothing to gain if I do. Besides, Koto-chan would cry if I did and I would never do anything to make her cry, unlike you!"

"I already said I'm sorry!" Makoto whined. "What else do I have to do?"

Ryuji growled. He was more than tempted to give another rant at the shivering boy, but Koto-chan had really wanted to be friends with him and Sekai again. Yelling at the boy was not going to make things better.

"Dunno," Ryuji sighed. "That's up to Koto-chan. She may have forgiven you already for all I know. That doesn't mean I will, though."

"I don't really expect you to," Makoto sighed. "I went behind my ex-girlfriend's back to be with another girl. I'm the worst kind of guy out there. Why Sekai wants to be with me I'll never know."

"I don't know either," Ryuji frowned. "But count your blessings. Guys like you rarely get a second chance at love. Don't screw up."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Makoto nodded.

"Good," Ryuji nodded. "Now let's get going. The girls are probably waiting by now."

"Right behind you," said Makoto as he watched Ryuji leave. He just couldn't believe he'd survived.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kenzaki had separated from the rest of the group. He really didn't want to be at this onsen but did he really have a choice? He thought he did but his Imagin seemed to have got it into their heads to intervene. Kumiko too. This wasn't any of their business, really. What was going on was between himself and Neko…

Of course, he was purposely trying not to see her.

"This is gonna be hard. How the hell am I supposed to avoid Neko when I'm in the same building as her…" sighed Kenzaki.

"So, you are trying to avoid Neko-san?" said a voice.

Kenzaki stiffened as he turned to see Kotonoha standing there.

"Kotonoha-san," Kenzaki spoke.

"Tsukuba-san, why are you trying to avoid her? Isn't she your girlfriend?" Kotonoha asked.

He avoided her gaze. "I'm not sure about that. I mean, we had a fight and…"

"You didn't even go to see her," Kotonoha sighed. "She's been really depressed when she wasn't able to see you so I managed to set this all up. She jumped at the chance." Kotonoha paused, "She misses you, you know?"

"She does?" Kenzaki answered. "But…"

"All couples have arguments but they can be solved if you sit down and talk," Kotonoha said. "This is the same thing that happened with Makoto-kun and I," she explained. "He was seeing someone behind my back and well…" She had tried to commit suicide but Ryuji had saved her. "You've both been together for 2 years, despite all the odds against you. Now, do you think your relationship is worth saving or are you going to throw it away like that?" She then walked past him, "Think about what you're doing."

'_That was inspirational, Lady Kotonoha_,' Athena complimented as Kotonoha walked away from Kenzaki. '_You showed that man the errors of his ways._'

"Just helping a friend," Kotonoha whispered.

Kenzaki stood there for a moment. Neko missed him? She wanted to see him? Kenzaki smiled before going to meet with Ryuji and the others. "Maybe there's still hope…" he said with a smile.

* * *

Sometime later, the girls were all giggling and chatting with each other as they enjoyed the steaming waters of the onsen. Hikari and Nanami were sitting with Kokoro at the edge of the springs in their towels. Otome was talking with Sekai, Kotonoha and Neko in the deeper parts of the water, nude. The ones with long hair all wore their hair up.

"It's great for you to invite us along, Kotonoha-chan," said Neko with a smile.

"It's no big deal," Kotonoha said. "My father's company owns this onsen so our family gets to come here for free anytime we want."

Kokoro added with a smile, "We even get free trips to Hawaii and Dubai."

"Wow," said Hikari, astounded.

Sekai sighed, "Now I know the difference between us and them." Neko also knew what it was like. Due to her mother being a famous fashion designer, she could get free trips to anywhere in the world via her own private jet.

Otome, meanwhile, had her eyes on Kotonoha, scrutinizing her. She still couldn't believe that the girl she'd bullied had invited her along. Of course, this only proved how kind and forgiving Kotonoha was.

"I knew you were…endowed, Katsura," Otome grimaced as she looked at the girl's bust. "But this big? I thought it was a push up or something."

"Oh no," Kotonoha denied. "Ever since junior high I've had the biggest chest in my class. I got made fun of it for a while. Boys would often ogle me for it. Really, Makoto-kun and Ryuji-kun are the first ones who didn't stare at it."

"I bet Ryuji-chan has done more than look," Neko teased.

"Neko-san!" Kotonoha cried. "I'm not going to talk about that!"

"Just observing," Neko shrugged. She then turned to Sekai. "What about you and Itou-san, Sekai-chan?"

"Ah!" Sekai gasped. She blushed brightly. "Well, it's…been good. Makoto is…rather…attentive."

Sekai felt extremely uncomfortable about talking about her relationship at the moment. Kotonoha, Makoto's ex and the girl who he'd cheated on with her was right there. She was hoping to leave the past behind them, but with Neko asking, it was a hard thing to do. Otome frowned at hearing this. She decided to turn her attention towards Neko.

"What about you, Hasuma?" asked Otome. "Are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?" asked Neko.

"That you and Tsukuba are going out," she clarified.

Neko frowned, "Well…I don't know if we are even still dating now. We had a fight and, well…we've been avoiding each other for days. You've noticed that he didn't go to school these past few days, right?"

"So, he ditched school because he's avoiding you?" asked Sekai. "Not exactly model boyfriend behavior."

"I know," Neko sighed. "We've known each other for two years and I'm afraid that it's over."

"You've tried to talk to him, right?" asked Hikari.

"Yes, I have, but I couldn't reach him. I had to send messages through his friends."

Kotonoha was briefly reminded of the time when Makoto had avoided and ignored her in the past in favor of Sekai. Though she'd forgiven the two, the pain of betrayals still lingered. Of course, she wasn't going to dwell on it anymore. She had Ryuji. Her dear, sweet, Ryuji-kun.

"So, Katsura-san," began Nanami. "What do you see in Hasuma? I mean he doesn't look half bad, I admit, but he's…"

"Scary!" Hikari finished.

"Oh, Ryuji-kun isn't all that bad," said Kotonoha.

"Katsura, your boyfriend has a crude mouth, a temper, he's rude and well…he scares a lot of people," said Otome. She remembered having chills run down her spine every time Ryuji just looked at her. It was this fear that made her realize that bullying Kotonoha wasn't worth it. She'd even seen Ryuji punch a hole in the wall and that was because he didn't get what he wanted at the cafeteria for lunch. "I can't imagine what's so good about him."

"There's a rumor saying that he abuses you," Nanami frowned.

Kotonoha gasped, and then defended, "Ryuji-kun would never hurt me!"

"You sure?"

"I am," Kotonoha nodded firmly. "Ryuji-kun may be a little rough around the edges, but he can be very sweet and kind."

The other girls, aside from Kokoro and Neko, couldn't imagine Ryuji being 'sweet and kind'.

"He may seem scary, but he's a big softie inside," said Neko. She had doubts about Ryuji at first but over time she saw that Ryuji had a bit of her other brother, Ryuki, in him. "I know my brother well."

"You and him are twins, right?" asked Sekai.

"Him, me, Ryuki and Kat," clarified Neko. "Quadruplets, really."

* * *

On the boys' side, Makoto and Taisuke were in the water with Makoto's friend pressing his ear against the bamboo fence separating the two sides. "Wonder what they're talking about, I can't make it out," muttered Taisuke.

"Taisuke, are you sure we should be doing this?" asked Makoto worriedly.

"Hey, we're guys. In this situation it's tradition," said Taisuke proudly.

"I know…but…" Makoto jabbed his thumb towards the third person in the spring with them.

Ryuji was leaning in the spring with a wash cloth on his forehead. He'd tied his hair into a braid and wrapped the length of hair around his neck. He wasn't like his counterpart, Ryuki, that he was afraid of water. He had his eyes closed but then cracked one eye open to glare at the two boys he had the unfortunate luck to share the spring with.

"I hope you're not thinking of doing what I think you're doing," warned Ryuji. "Because if you are then I am going to be really unhappy and I will seriously have to hurt you."

"Is he ever happy?" Taisuke whispered to Makoto.

"I heard that," Ryuji snapped. Makoto shivered. He could feel an unpleasant chill.

Kenzaki wasn't with them and with good reason too since that would mean exposing his metallic silver torso to them. He'd been ostracized enough in his life and didn't feel like soaking in a hot spring with others. Well, if it was only him and Neko, well…

'_Ryuji, I think you should make an effort to be a little friendly_,' advised Loki.

Ryuji ignored his Imagin partner and closed his eyes to relax. He then heard walking and turned to see Kenzaki walking toward them. "Surprised you decided to come out," said Ryuji.

"I needed to relax," replied Kenzaki. "I have way too much on my mind." He noticed Taisuke and Makoto staring at him, his strangely colored skin to be more specific. "Childhood accident," he vaguely explained. It was true. An accident in Kenzaki's childhood had bonded an experimental metal alloy to his skin. Unfortunately, the same accident had killed his younger brother.

"Ah," both boys nodded. No wonder Kenzaki always covered himself up. Taisuke continued his attempts to listen or at least peek on the girls' side while Makoto remained in prime position to run for his life if Kenzaki couldn't distract Ryuji.

"Do you know what you're going to do about Neko-nee?" Ryuji asked as he heaved a sigh.

"I think so," Kenzaki nodded. "Might as well be a man and talk to her about it. Kotonoha says she has been pretty depressed about our fight."

"Glad to see that you're finally catching on," Ryuji snorted. "So when are you going to do it?"

"Sometime after I finish soaking here," Kenzaki answered. "Valentine's Day is coming up so I better do something soon or else I'm gonna end up spending it alone."

"Ain't that the truth," Ryuji nodded in agreement.

'_I wanna look at the girls!_' whined a voice in Kenzaki's head.

"Shut up, Buraki," said Kenzaki.

'_But they're right on the other side of the fence! I can almost smell them!'_

"I said no," warned Kenzaki.

'_But…_'

"If you ask one more time, I'm going to fly the GaroLiner as high up as I can, then push you out."

'_Shutting up now._'

Conversation was halted as a strange noise could be heard near the dividing fence. Ryuji and Kenzaki turned to see where it was coming from, with some obvious suspects in it. Unsurprisingly, Taisuke was trying to drill a hole in the fence with a simple hand drill. Makoto was furiously trying to convince him to stop. Well, he was while he was checking to see if Kenzaki and Ryuji weren't paying attention.

"Is he trying to peek on the girls?" Kenzaki frowned.

"Yes," Ryuji frowned, an angry tick appearing on his forehead. "Our girlfriends are among them. For once I want to pound someone worse than Itou."

"Yeah," Kenzaki frowned as he cracked his knuckles and stood. "Gonna have to ask where he got the drill from."

"I think I know where," Ryuji growled as he flexed his fingers. "And I'm gonna shove it back up there!"

* * *

Back in the GaroLiner's dining car, Buraki was whining, grumbling and complaining, "Damn it! Why did Kenzaki have to shut me out! I wanna go to the onsen too!"

"You mean you wish to peep on girls," retorted Buraki, amused at seeing his comrade wailing.

"Urusei, Hentai-Imoogi," growled Okami. "Some on us want to sleep."

Buraki only continued to cry before Kumiko knocked him out with a punch to the face.

* * *

"YOU'RE DEAD, YOU PERV!"

"AHHHHHHH!"

"NO ONE SEES KOTO-CHAN NAKED BUT ME!"

"ARGH! MAKOTO! HELP ME!"

"I'M NOT DYING FOR YOU!"

"YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF!"

The girls blinked and blushed at the sounds of violence and screams of profanity and pain coming from the other side. Hikari covered Kokoro's ears, so to keep her innocence whole. Otome blushed, not used to hearing such language. Sekai sighed and rubbed her forehead. Neko giggled, finding these kinds of antics amusing. Kotonoha smiled lovingly as she held her hand to her cheek.

"Ryuji-kun," she sighed. "Always protecting me." He was like her knight in shining armor. Well, maybe not shining armor but he was still her knight.

"HEY! WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT! STOP! ARGH!"

* * *

Taisuke had to be taken back to their room due to intense physical trauma. In other words, Ryuji and Kenzaki had both beaten the boy senseless and some of the staff of the onsen was currently looking after his wounds. He was bruised all over and had a drill stuck up his…well, you know.

The group, now wearing relaxing yukatas, all colored a dull green, was in the recreation room just having fun. They were watching Nanami and Hikari play a few rounds of table tennis with Kokoro keeping score.

Kenzaki looked over towards Neko, who had her hair out of its usual braid and wore a calmer appearance now thanks to the water of the hot spring. Now, it was do or die. He wasn't going to run anymore. He walked over to her and then took hold of her left hand in his right. Startled by the familiar contact, she turned to look at Kenzaki.

Now, Kenzaki was never really good at talking about his emotions. Even when he did he'd been hesitant. He was more of an action guy and so he just decided to let actions speak for him. He leaned in close to her face and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. He then decided to be a man and said, "I'm sorry." Neko's eyes started to water as the corners of her lips curled up into a smile. Exclaiming happily, which drew the attention of the rest, Neko hugged Kenzaki tightly.

"Well, it looks like they took care of things already," Ryuji said as Kotonoha leaned against him. "Took them long enough." He and his girlfriend watched as the couple walked out of the rec. room. He caught the ping pong ball that was about to hit him in the face and then turned to look at the girls. "I'll play the winner."

* * *

"I am so stupid," Kenzaki sighed into Neko's hair. "I almost ruined what I had with you because of my stupid hormones."

"Yeah, you were a little stupid," Neko giggled into Kenzaki's shoulder. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted."

"Mmm," Kenzaki sighed, still not letting go of Neko. "Still, if or when you decide to bring our relationship to that level…I'll be waiting and I'll make sure it's special too."

"Careful, Ken-kun," Neko smirked as she traced a finger along his chest. "You're getting close to why we fought in the first place."

"Right, right," Kenzaki nodded. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Boys can be dumb like that," Neko giggled, finding amusement in Kenzaki's frown. "That's why there are girls like me. To keep wonderful guys like you in check."

"And I'm grateful for it every day," Kenzaki smiled before he stole another kiss. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do, just like how I love you too."

"Neko, you are the only person who could possibly love me as much as you do. So, I don't think anyone's in the springs right now. Care to join me?" he asked as he squeezed her tighter. She looked at him and leaned up to whisper something into his ear. This caused the grin he had to widen.

Gekiryuken, who was hanging from Neko's neck, was relieved. His partner's love life was saved.

* * *

Nanami had beaten Hikari and per their deal, Ryuji would play against the winner. "I hope you're ready to lose, Kanroji," he said as he lobbed the ball up and down in his hand.

"Just serve it already, Hasuma," Nanami challenged as she stood at her hand, paddle gripped tightly. She'd heard that Ryuji had gotten a few offers to join several of the sports clubs, but had turned them all down.

"Well, here it goes." Ryuji lobbed the ball into the air and when it came back down at the proper level, he swung his paddle hard into it. The ball zipped past Nanami's face and then slammed into the wall before bouncing off it and onto the ground. It rolled on the floor for a bit before stopping, its surface smoking.

"Point to Ryuji-niichan!" said Kokoro. Everyone gaped as Kotonoha beamed.

"Su…sugoi…" Hikari let out. This just made Makoto even more nervous. He knew Ryuji had a really strong swing, but he never knew how strong.

Nanami was frozen on the spot, eyes wide, as Ryuji chuckled while rubbing the underside of his nose.

"Oi, someone should pick up the ball," said Ryuji. He then felt someone poke his leg and looked down to see a little girl with oddly colored hair. His eyes widened when he recognized the violet hair of the little girl and the white streak within it.

"Here you go," said the little girl politely as she showed him the ping pong ball. Ryuji took it and then squatted down to meet the girl's eye level. She couldn't be any older than 3.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Tessa," the girl smiled. Ryuji gawked at her but then he heard a very familiar voice.

"Tessa, come here!" called a male voice.

"OK, daddy!" Tessa called back before running towards the owner of the voice. Ryuji stood up straight and turned to see who Tessa's daddy was and palmed his face.

"Urg…here too?" Ryuji grumbled.

"You don't sound happy to see me," Warren Smith said as he picked Tessa up and carried her in his arms. Flanking him were two women. Ryuji recognized them. One was Teresa and the other was Raven, the Raven from Warren's world. Holding onto Raven's hand was a little boy, the same age as Tessa - Alex - and he had white hair with a purple streak.

"Trust me, this is a surprise," said Ryuji. He then smirked, "So, brought the family, huh?" Raven, Warren and Teresa hadn't de-aged like before and Raven didn't look any younger than she should. They all looked to be about 21.

"Yup, but didn't expect to see you here, Ryuji," Warren smiled. The two men pounded their fists together to greet each other.

"Ryuji-kun, is this…" Kotonoha began as she walked over with the others following. The two cute little children had the girls all cooing at them. They were just too cute. Makoto recognized Warren immediately.

"Hey, Makoto. Are you being good to Sekai? Or do I have to keep my promise?" asked Warren with a smile.

Makoto suddenly looked terrified, even more so than when Ryuji was around. "Yes! I've been good to Sekai!" he screamed.

"Glad to hear it," said Warren once again, his smile unwavering.

"What promise is he talking about?" Kotonoha asked Ryuji.

"Warren promised Itou that if he ever cheated on Sekai he'd show him that it is physically possible to shove a human's head up his own ass," answered Ryuji.

Kotonoha wasn't sure what to make of that. On one hand, it was good that steps were being taken to ensure Makoto would change his ways and Sekai wouldn't suffer like she had. On the other hand, such violent tactics really didn't really seem practical.

"Threatening kids, honey?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Hey, the situation called for it," Warren claimed. "The scared straight approach."

Raven sent a suspicious frown, but didn't say anything else. Warren knew the look. Raven was going to be interrogating him later. He may have told her about his last adventure in this world, but only skimmed over the major details. He hadn't quite mentioned how he threatened severe physical harm to a boy as to keep him from his womanizing ways.

"Oh, these two are just precious!" Otome gushed as she cuddled Tess. The young girl didn't seem to mind the attention either. "I didn't know you had a little brother and sister, Warren-san!"

"Actually, they are my kids," said Warren. Everyone became silent.

"But, you're 16," blinked Otome. "How can you…?"

"Well, actually I'm 21," Warren explained. This caught the girl by surprise. "You see I was only posing as a 16 year old freshman to study the lives of students for a college thesis." That was a more plausible story. If the truth was known…it would be troublesome. "And Alex and Tessa here are my two bundles of joy," Warren grinned. "I just want to keep them all to myself."

"Daddy is gree…um…greedy!" Alex laughed, bringing coos from the girls around him.

"Oooooh! I just wanna take him home!" Sekai squealed as she played with the little boy.

"Sorry," Teresa smiled. "The twins stay with their parents."

Otome decided to ask, cautiously, "So, who's the mother? Teresa?"

"Actually, that would be me," said Raven, "Call me Rachel."

"Rae and I have a very open marriage. The three of us also have a very strong bond with each other," explained Warren. This was true. After Teresa was revived as a full human, Warren, Raven and Teresa held a magical ceremony which created a spiritual bond between the three.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kenzaki and Neko had gone back to the springs to soak in a pool together. That would mean they were going in naked, right?

Wrong.

Though they'd agreed that someday they would reach that step in that relationship, neither was truly ready. So they both agreed to wear something. Kenzaki had on a pair of black swimming trunks while Neko had on a blue bikini that showed off her curves and figure quite nicely. Gekiryuken was placed on a rock as she slipped inside the pool with Kenzaki following after her. She'd done her hair up in a bun and as soon as Kenzaki was in the water, she cuddled him.

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Neko asked as she rubbed herself against his body, purring.

"Yeah it does" he replied in a low growl. He wrapped his arms around her body and just held him against her.

Of course, Murphy's Law dictates that such a touching moment would be suddenly interrupted when there was a huge splash after someone shouted, "AUNTIE NEKO!"

"Huh? Tessa-chan?" Neko blinked when she saw the little girl who'd just dove into the water. The little violet haired girl beamed brightly as she hugged Neko. "What are you doing here?"

"Daddy, mommy and Auntie Teresa brought us here," said Tessa.

"Oooh! This is such a nice surprise!" Neko squealed as she hugged the tiny girl.

"Yeah. Nice," Kenzaki sighed. So much for their romantic moment."So, Warren, Raven and Teresa are here too," said Kenzaki. "It's been awhile since we've seen them."

"Alex came too!" beamed Tessa. Neko patted the girl's head. "Where's Geki-Geki?" asked Tessa curiously.

Gekiryuken floated over to the young girl. "Here I am, child."

"Geki-Geki!" giggled Tessa.

Kenzaki sighed, "Well, I guess we have to do this later," said Kenzaki as he got out. Neko stood up, carrying a wet Tessa as Gekiryuke looped his chain around his wielder's neck.

"Looks like it," said Neko. She looked at Tessa who was smiling brightly at her and then a thought came to her. 'What would it be like for Ken-kun and me to have kids?' Her cheeks suddenly burned as she blushed. What was she thinking! She wasn't ready to have kids, right?

"Auntie Neko, why is your face red?" asked Tessa.

"Um…" Neko bit her lower lip and said, "I'll tell you when you're older." She grabbed a towel to dry herself as she followed after Kenzaki.

* * *

When Neko, Kenzaki, Gekiryuken and Tessa walked into the rec. room, they could see an intense 2 VS 2 match at the ping-pong table. Sekai and Makoto were going up against Kotonoha and Ryuji. However, Kotonoha's hair was now done up into a ponytail with green streaks and her eyes were green. This went unnoticed by everyone except for a select few.

The scores were as followed:

Makoto & Sekai: 8

Ryuji & A-Kotonoha: 14

"Wow, I never knew Katsura-san to be good at sports," admired Nanami. "I mean she was having trouble at the start of the match but now she's like a pro."

"I guess people can surprise you," said Otome. She'd seen a change in Kotonoha's personality since she started dating Ryuji. Her friends had learnt it the hard way. They never bothered her but were still resentful about the black eyes.

"OK, Ryuji-kun, let's finish this," A-Kotonoha said to her partner.

Ryuji didn't like Athena much but he had to smile at her competitive spirit. "We'll crush her, ok, Koto-chan?"

'_Chotto!_' Kotonoha cried in her mind. '_Isn't that too much?_'

It was Sekai's turn to serve so she lobbed the ball upwards before swinging her paddle, sending the ball flying over the net. A-Kotonoha was able to do an impressive backhand counter and sent it to Makoto who stumbled as he sent it back. The ball came into Ryuji's sight and he hit it, sending it flying straight for Sekai. It was flying fast and would've hit her face but Makoto got in the, jumping in front of Sekai and smashing the ball back towards its sender.

WHAM!

Everyone gasped and cringed when they all saw the ball had hit Ryuji in the forehead. It rolled off his face, bounced atop the table for a bit before rolling off.

"Point to Sekai and Makoto!" said Hikari. Sekai and Makoto didn't look all that jubilant when the temperature fell. Ryuji's head was down as he shook. He looked ready to explode when all of a sudden he looked up at them and…smiled?

"Wow! That was awesome!" Ryuji beamed, his eyes looked like upside-down U's. The only other change was his hair, which had been braided and his bangs were blue now. "Itou-san, you really did it!"

Everyone stared. They'd expected Ryuji to explode or something. Well, now Ryuji wasn't in control. Loki was in the driver's seat.

'_Oi, Loki!_' shouted Ryuji. '_What the hell!_'

L-Ryuji continued to smile as he stood next to his Imagin possessed teammate. He picked up the ball and handed it to A-Kotonoha. "Your serve, Koto-chan."

"As always, Ryuji-kun," smirked A-Kotonoha.

Otome whispered to Nanami, "Maybe the ball hitting his head did this?" Nanami shrugged.

Kenzaki smiled in amusement. It would appear his fellow Rider was unable to block out his partner whenever he decided to possess him. Seeing Ryuji act all nice was a contrast to his brash and rude mannerism. Loki was naturally a kind character so he never swore or acted mean to others. That, however, didn't mean he was harmless. All Imagin could fight and Kenzaki wondered what the Ifrit Imagin hid under his robe.

Warren, Teresa and Raven were having a conversation in English.

Warren whistled, "Man, that was one hard hit."

"I guess Ryuji has a lot of patience," said Teresa.

"That's not Ryuji. I could sense something taking control," said Raven.

"That's his Imagin partner, Loki," explained Warren.

"His partner is named after the Norse God of Mischief?" remarked Raven. "But he's so…"

"I know. I was surprised too. Their personalities clash though but Loki is loyal and Ryuji needs someone like him to stay stable."

The match continued and eventually ended in a tie because it was dinner time. Both Athena and Loki slipped back into their hosts' subconscious, restoring their personalities and regular hairstyles.

* * *

Outside the onsen, a figure bounced over the fence and onto the branch of a tree before jumping onto the roof. It was an Imagin resembling a monkey with red skin and white fur covering it. It had silver bracelets on its forearms and shin-guards. It wore a chestplate and a helmet on its head. It also had a tail. It wore silver pants to finish the look.

"So, this is the place those Riders are," the White Baboon Imagin chuckled. "Well, let's see if they are up to play." It crawled along the roof, pressing its ear against the surface to listen in order to find its target.

* * *

Warren and Ryuji were sitting in some chairs alone while Raven and the girls were busy chatting with each other. Makoto had made a lame excuse about checking on Taisuke before he bolted. In truth, he didn't want to be in the same room with two men who had and promised to deal him grievous bodily harm. That suited Ryuji just fine. He hated Makoto without question and didn't like dealing with him.

"So how goes the Imagin hunting?" Warren asked quietly.

"Showing up now and then," Ryuji sighed. "I don't mind if they do, but do they have to do it when I'm with Koto-chan?"

"Imagin wait for no one," Warren snickered. "If you want more uninterrupted time, then just get alone with her more."

"Not a bad idea," Ryuji grinned as a smirk that was borderline between loving and lecherous appeared on his face.

"Wow," Warren snickered. "Kotonoha must be something. You aren't as violent as I remember."

"She's the one for me," Ryuji grinned with a nod. "Glad I ended up here."

"Not a bad place to be," Warren agreed. "So, when should I expect Kotonoha in a wedding dress?"

"Urk!" Ryuji gulped with a crimson flush on his face. His mind immediately switched to what Kotonoha would look like in a wedding dress. Then it switched to what she would look like while taking it off…

"Your nose is bleeding," Warren laughed.

"Urusei!"

* * *

Later, in the dining hall, everyone was served with a modest meal in front of them. It was a traditional Japanese dinner.

"Itadakimasu," everyone said. Taisuke even managed to join them and sat FAR away from Ryuji who was giving him a really cold glare.

"This place…it's so relaxing," sighed Sekai. "I wish I could stay here forever…"

To her right sat Makoto who agreed, "Yeah." Across from him he could see Neko and Kenzaki smiling at each other.

"Don't even think about it, teme," threatened Ryuji who was on Makoto's right. Sitting next to him was Kotonoha with Kokoro next to her too.

Makoto remembered the talk he had with Warren awhile back. He had to remain faithful to Sekai. He couldn't cheat on her. If he did…well he really didn't want to know the consequences. He knew Ryuji would be involved in the punishment.

"Too bad we have to leave tomorrow, though," said Nanami who sat at Sekai's left.

"And without any happy memories!" wailed Taisuke but he got dirty looks from most of the girls, Ryuji and Kenzaki. He stopped waling and continued to eat.

The Smith family was with them. They had plans to soak up in the hot springs after dinner, as a family. Kenzaki felt envious. Here was Warren with two women in his life, a loving wife and two beautiful children.

'_Ryuji, eat slowly. You may choke_,' advised Loki.

"Urusei," muttered Ryuji as he took his drink. He glanced at Kotonoha who was blushing from her little sister teasing her. He smiled warmly at the scene. Kotonoha seemed more at peace now. For once in his life, he was truly happy…

**CRASH!**

Suddenly, something fell through the ceiling and landed on the floor. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" It sounded like the howling laughter of a monkey. There standing in the middle of the dining hall was an Imagin. At the sight of the monster, the guests screamed in panic. Well, most of the guests who weren't used to facing such a beast. Warren, Rachel, Teresa, Neko and Kenzaki all glared at this thing which had dared to interrupt their meal time.

"Everyone, run!" shouted Ryuji as he grabbed Kotonoha and Kokoro's hands before escaping with them, or so it appeared. He would double right back to face the monster. The onsen staff also fled. Alex and Tessa were frightened.

"It's okay," said Raven reassuringly. "I won't let that thing hurt you." She carried Alex as Teresa carried Tessa.

"Raven, Teresa, get the kids out of here," said Warren. The two women nodded and exited the dining hall.

Everyone had fled, leaving Kenzaki, Neko, and Warren alone with the White Baboon Imagin. Ryuji returned quickly with his Ifrit Belt on and Rider Pass in hand.

"Ooooh, all the Riders in one place!" the White Baboon Imagin clapped. "This will be fun!"

"How's this for fun! Henshin!" Ryuji shouted as he slid the Pass into his belt.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

Kenzaki had on his belt and as soon as he did Buraki took possession of him, resulting in his hair gaining a red streak. He pressed the red button and swiped his Pass over the belt. "Henshin!"

"**SAVAGE FORM!**"

Theire respective armors formed and the transformations were finished as their masks slid over their faceplates and snapped into place.

"Gekiryu Henshin!" shouted Neko as she grasped Gekiryuken. A blue energy dragon flew around her and engulfed her in blue light. A blue bodysuit covered her body before white and gold gauntlets, boots and torso armor encased her. Finally, her white and gold dragon armor formed before the blue visor covered her face. When the light faded, she'd become, "God Ryukendo! Raijin!"

"SHATTER!" commanded Warren as he activated his transformation. Chains made of shadow energy flew out from nowhere and covered Warren. They soon exploded off of Warren, revealing him in a new outfit. He wore a black leather bodysuit and heavily strapped black boots. He wore black gloves with spikes on the knuckles. Chains ran up his arms. On his chest and going over his shoulders was onyx colored armor with chains running across it in the shape of an X. In the center of the armor was a skull emblem. Around his waist he wore his belt. The center of the buckle depicted a skull. Attached to the belt were twin guns, one was pitch black and depicted an angel, while the other was stark white and depicted a demon. Next to each gun was a button, a white one and a black one. Lastly, his head and face were hidden by black skull-like helmet.

"You're surrounded," said Ifrit. "You can't beat us all."

"Or can I?" the White Baboon Imagin chuckled before leaping upwards. Quick as a flash he bounded off the ceiling and then hit Warren in the chest. Bounding off, he did the same to Ifrit and then rebounded to slam into both Ryukendo and Garoh. The four Riders fell from the hits and the White Baboon Imagin performed a hand stand to mock them. He stuck out his tongue, "Nyah, you can't beat me!"

Ifrit growled, "Damn bastard…he's pissing me off!"

"**Let's finish this quick**," said Garoh as he'd just formed his Gasher into Gun Mode. "**I wanna peep on the girls later!**" That comment made Ifrit growl in annoyance.

"Catch me first!" the Imagin challenged before jumping up and back into the hole it had come down from.

"Chotto matte!" shouted Ifrit as he ran to the hole, jumped up and climbed into it.

* * *

On the roof the White Baboon Imagin was waiting. "OK, teme, you've really pissed me off," snarled Ifrit.

"Oh, I'm shaking!" said the White Baboon Imagin tauntingly.

"You should be," remarked Ifrit before forming his twin Ifrit Dao. "GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Gengi! Ifrit no Kiba!"

* * *

Back in the dining hall, Wraith, Ryukendo and Garoh could feel the summoning of Mythical Ki.

"Let's go!" said Wraith commandingly before he leapt up and climbed into the hole. Ryukendo went in after and finally Garoh thought he got kicked in the face for staring at Ryukendo's butt.

* * *

The White Baboon Imagin was armed with a spear and using it to parry all of Ifrit's attacks. The blades made of freezing ice ki were unable to do any damage as the tricky monster laughed at his opponent tauntingly. The White Baboon Imagin then knocked one of Ifrit's blades away before stabbing him in the chest. It continued to attack the Rider with the sharp tip of its spear. The Imagin continued to force Ifrit backwards until he was at the edge of the roof and standing over the hot springs.

"Hope you can swim!" the Imagin chuckled. He got ready to push Ifrit off when gunfire rained down on him. The Imagin was forced back as the shots continued to pummel him painfully. It looked to see Garoh with his gun aimed at the Imagin.

"**Sorry, but the pool is closed**," said Garoh as he continued to shoot. "**Hey, Ryuji, are you…**?"

"I'm fine," stated Ifrit as he went to pick up his other sword. He joined the two at the hilt and grasped his newly formed weapon tightly. "Let's finish this cackling teme off!"

"Agreed," said Wraith with the eyes of his skull helmet glowing. "Let's take this thing down for ruining my family's vacation."

"Don't forget me," added Ryukendo.

"**FULL CHARGE!**" Garoh and Ifrit's belts both announced as they charged up their weapons.

"Oh, shit," the White Baboon Imagin said. "Well…uh…" It then shouted, "GOTTA GO!" before throwing a smoke bomb down. It exploded and a cloud of smoke covered the entire surface of the roof, blinding the Riders. When the smoke cleared, the Imagin had vanished. Ifrit let out a shout of outrage as his prey had fled.

"Damn it!" shouted Ifrit.

"Well, he's gone," said Wraith. "We better go join the others before they get suspicious."

"Yep, you got it," agreed Ryukendo.

* * *

The girls were all back in their suite, shaken by the recent attack. "Man, here too? I thought those things only attack the city," said Otome.

"I guess you can't expect when or where these monsters will attack," said Kotonoha who knew more than she was letting on.

"Well, then this would mean Ifrit would come," Hikari gushed. "Oh, I wanted to see him!"

"Me too," added Kokoro.

"I don't think he showed up," Nanami said.

"But he has to!" pouted Hikari.

"Hey, where's Hasuma-san?" asked Sekai.

Neko came into the room and sat down with the girls. "Here."

"Where were you? We were worried," said Sekai.

"Sorry," apologized Neko.

* * *

As soon as Ryuji came into the room he shared with the boys, Taisuke immediately jumped into the closet to hide himself, leaving Makoto and Ryuji alone. Kenzaki had gone off to possibly investigate about the Imagin and what it was targeting and who its contractor was, if it had one at all.

"Hey," said Ryuji. "Are you okay, Itou?" he asked.

"Just a little shaken. I mean one of those monsters just attacked here out of the blue," replied Makoto.

Ryuji sat down and leaned back against the closet. "Well, it just shows you that you can't predict these things."

"Where did you go?" asked Makoto. "I mean you just showed up."

"I went to see if the girls were alright," lied Ryuji.

"So…"

"They are fine," Ryuji cut him off. He was still upset about the White Baboon Imagin running out on a fight like that. He hated it when his opponents were cowardly. It showed they had no regard for honor.

* * *

"Daddy!" both Tessa and Alex yelled as they ran to their father. Alex hopped up and down excitedly as Tessa had a look of wonder on her face.

"Did you get it, daddy? Did you beat the monster?" asked Tessa.

Warren told them, "I did," as he ruffled their hair, "And he ran off because I scared him off."

"Wow!" said Alex in awe.

He smiled at his two kids before kneeling down and lifting them up, sitting them on his strong shoulders. He walked over to Teresa and Warren who were sitting down. He sat down with them and put down his kids who immediately went for their mother, hugging her.

Teresa knew that Warren wasn't telling the whole truth. They had driven the Imagn off but it had only fled to make up a new strategy. Whatever it was after, they would stop it.

* * *

The White Baboon Imagin leapt through the city, hopping from roof to roof, before arriving in the park. Leaning against a tree was a man wearing a dark blue shirt beneath a blue jacket, and black pants. He had short black hair and slanted, red eyes. "They're stronger than we thought and there's another one now," reported the Imagin. "What should we do, Tatsuya?"

"There's another of those damn Riders!" the man growled. "Damn it! Nanimo didn't mention that more would be showing up!"

"Calm yourself, Hirakawa-san," said a new voice. This one was cold and emotionless, and had the effect of metal scraping against metal. All the two could see was the figure's silhouette. "All this means is that you'll need to take a different approach." Three shadows appeared behind the figure. "Baboon, take these three Imagin. They will deal with the other Riders, you, however, have a special job."

"And what's that?" questioned the Imagin.

"You get to possess Ifrit, and use him to destroy the others. You can kill the rest of them, but I want the Wolf Rider brought to me."

"Why?" asked Tatsuya.

"I have something special planned for him…" he said mysteriously before vanishing.

* * *

When everyone was asleep, several figures had snuck into the hot springs and slipped into the water. The light of the moon revealed them to be none other than Okami, Byakko, Buraki and Raion and Loki, the Imagin partners of the Kamen Riders.

"This feels good," sighed Raion.

"Relaxing," Okami agreed. "I could fall asleep here."

"A good soak in the hot springs is good after training," said Byakko.

"Oh, I wish I brought some eggs to cook in here," said Loki. "Eggs cooked in hot spring water are really tasty."

Buraki was frowning deeply. There were no girls, just guys. Where were the girls! He then heard something and leaned against the divider that separated the boys and the girls. He could hear someone entering the girls' side. Was it…was it a girl! He had to see! He climbed up the fence using his sharp claws. None of the others seemed to take notice as he did. When he looked over the top of the divider, a rock smashed into his face. He was knocked backwards and made a splash.

On the women's side was Athena, Kotonoha's Imagin partner. She muttered, "Perverted males," before closing her eyes and enjoying the water of the hot springs. "Now…this is the life."


	3. A Human Heart in a Monster's Shell

The White Baboon Imagin leapt through the city before arriving in the park. Leaning against a tree was a man wearing a dark blue shirt beneath a blue jacket, and black pants. He had short black hair and slanted, red eyes. "They're stronger than we thought and there's another one now," reported the Imagin. "What should we do, Tatsuya?"

"There's another of those damn Riders!" the man growled. "Damn it! Nanimo didn't mention that more would be showing up!"

"Calm yourself, Hirakawa-san," said a new voice. This one was cold and emotionless, and had the effect of metal scraping against metal. All the two could see was the figure's silhouette. "All this means is that you'll need to take a different approach." Three shadows appeared behind the figure. "Baboon, take these three Imagin. They will deal with the other Riders, you, however, have a special job."

"And what's that?" questioned the Imagin.

"You get to possess Ifrit, and use him to destroy the others. You can kill the rest of them, but I want the Wolf Rider brought to me."

"Why?" asked Tatsuya.

"I have something special planned for him…" he said mysteriously before vanishing.

* * *

"**A HUMAN HEART IN A MONSTER'S SHELL"**

* * *

Ryuji wore a wide smile and lightly purred at the memories of the little vacation he and the group had gone on at the onsen. The water of the hot springs was filled with minerals that were healthy for human skin.

Of course, it wasn't the hot springs that had him smiling; it was what he and Kotonoha had done in the hot springs that had him grinning like an idiot. She had come into the room he shared with the boys, quite early in the morning before the sun even rose, and woke him up with a kiss. She also teased him about his purring which was just so adorable for him. If anyone knew he purred, then his reputation as a tough guy would be ruined.

They had gone into one of the pools and started making out. Then, she'd mounted him and both of them made sweet love to each other. Doing it in the water had been an extremely different and pleasurable experience. As soon as they'd climaxed and bathed in the afterglow of their intimacy. The sun had risen and they both watched it before they got out and dressed and gave each other another kiss good morning.

During breakfast, he'd caught Warren and Kenzaki grinning at him. Of course they would know about it. Somehow they could sense/smell it off him.

They'd stayed in the onsen again on Sunday but had to leave later in the evening. They had homework they needed to finish. Ryuji actually slept the whole way, much to Makoto and Taisuke's relief and also worry since if they ever woke him up he would be really furious with them. Extremely furious.

"Hey, you seem awfully happy," said Kenzaki as he and Neko arrived at the train station where they would take the train to school. "I wonder why?"

Ryuji's smile turned into a scowl as he turned away, hiding his reddening cheeks. "Urusei, teme," he muttered. He didn't feel like talking.

"Oh, stop teasing him Ken-kun," Neko scolded. "You're just jealous because he's getting some!"

Now it was Kenzaki's turn to blush as Ryuji smirked in amusement. "Neko, it's not like that!" Kenzaki tried to deny but well his words didn't hold much substance right now. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?" he sighed.

"Nope," said Neko with a mischievous grin.

The train came along and the trio went inside of the train. For some reason Makoto wasn't waiting at the station. Maybe he'd left early or decided to take the bus instead. Well, for whatever reason, Makoto's face wasn't the one he was looking forward to seeing in the morning.

The train made another stop and this time Ryuji's eyes brightened as Kotonoha entered. She walked over to him and sat down next to him, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Good morning," she said, yawning.

"You seem tired," remarked Ryuji.

"Oh, I had to stay up late to finish some of the homework," she replied. "And helping Kokoro-chan with hers too."

"I see…"

Kenzaki and Neko were in seats across from the couple. Neko smiled at seeing Ryuji so happy. It was so much different from the way he used to be in the past, the time when he always thought he was nothing but an evil consciousness. He was different now. His temper was still there but he would never blow up irrationally. He would get angry if he was annoyed and whenever Kotonoha was harmed in anyway. Ryuji was becoming more and more like his Yang half, in a way, except that he had a tendency to insult people which Ryuki never did unless provoked.

It was a surprise for her when she found out Ryuji was Kotonoha's assistant and was actually capable at doing his job. Though plenty of his classmates disliked him, they could do nothing about it since his reputation pretty much scared them out of doing anything that would ultimately lead to their own pain as well. It was safer for them to just watch as he and Kotonoha became close. A few boys in her class had eyes for her but they never had the nerve to do anything. Ryuji was the one who got her. He understood her, cared for her, and loved her.

Neko wondered how he and Kotonoha ever became a couple. She did find out from her brother. Ryuji had saved Kotonoha from plummeting to her death during a suicide attempt. This worried Neko. There was no doubt that Kotonoha was both mentally and emotionally fragile. Her love for Makoto would've gone to a point of obsession but she had a guardian angel to set her on the right path…she had Ryuji.

Kotonoha was a little clingy at times, which Ryuji didn't seem to mind. This would've put off most men or some men would've taken advantage of it. Ryuji wasn't the type. He would give Kotonoha what she wanted but only if it was truly what she wanted. He would show Kotonoha a softer side that she knew existed, which was something his enemies would never live to see. She wasn't frightened by his 'true' form but it did fill her with concern.

Concerning his purring once again, Kotonoha had heard it for the first time after they had made love that fateful Christmas night. She had giggled when he'd purred against her breasts but didn't feel like awakening him. He purred in his sleep, not snored, and only when he was incredibly happy. He was happy with her. He was her protector. He'd stayed for her and taken a dangerous mission so long as he was able to be with her…his princess.

She worried a lot whenever he went to fight the Imagin in the present and in the past. At least she was able to see him fight in the present but whenever he left on the ChronoLiner to follow the Imagin into the past to finish them off, she felt a pang of worry that she may never see him again. She knew he was still bothered about that Imagin which had fled. She'd heard him scream in rage for a few minutes before finally calming down. She knew he hated it whenever his prey fled. The Imagin would not be detected until it attacked again, which could happen anytime. As soon as they'd returned from their trip, he'd gone into training. She'd come for a short visit and heard him pounding into one of his many training dummies mercilessly. She'd stolen a peak of him without his shirt on and dripping with sweat that she nearly got a heart attack at seeing him look so delicious with his bangs matted to his forehead as he panted. Of course, when she'd seen his bleeding knuckles, she knew he'd overdone it on the training. He was just taking out his anger by beating up dummies, which had Makoto and Taisuke's faces on them. Kotonoha had asked him to not harm them so this was his way of venting out his anger. It often surprised her that someone so strong could be so gentle with her.

He was filled with anger. Maybe it was because he was once someone's Yin half that his emotions were on the negative side of the spectrum. He could show happiness but most of the time he could be seen scowling and frowning. He never smiled unless it was with her. The friends he had were in another world and it upset her. She wanted him to befriend the others but that didn't seem to be working. He tolerated them to a degree but didn't feel like befriending them.

She observed that he felt annoyed at the growing fame of his alter-ego. He did this not for the fame but rather for the sake of the present and future. The Imagin had to be stopped. It was that simple. He was doing something noble for others and they saw him as an icon and symbol. Being a Rider wasn't a glamorous job. It came with its own risks and dangers. He could be killed by the next Imagin he faced or lost in the past.

She knew she couldn't ask him to retire and find someone else to take his place. That would be selfish of her but she loved him so much. She didn't want to lose him like she lost Makoto. If Ryuji were to die, she would slip into a lifeless state and become dangerously unpredictable. She would even attempt suicide again in order to join him in death.

She felt Ryuji's grip on her hand tighten but it wasn't painful. It was like he was worried for her too, which was true. Being involved with him meant she was in danger too. If any of his enemies were to find out about her…that was why he couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to her. He could never forgive himself if she was ever hurt because of him.

Unfortunately, no one was aware when a golden colored orb snuck up on them and forced its way into Ryuji, causing him to involuntarily shift into his true form. "Ryuji-kun!" cried Kotonoha. All the passengers, with the exception of Neko, Kotonoha and Kenzaki, screamed in terror at the sight of the Orphenoch. They began to panic and tried as hard as they could to get out of the same car as this monster.

The Ifrit Orphenoch stood up and only uttered one word. "Kill." He then lunged at Kenzaki.

Kenzaki pushed Neko roughly out of their seat when the Ifrit Orphenoch came at him. He caught his attacker's hands in his and pushed away the claws aiming for his face, grappling against him with all his strength. He struggled as he got out of his seat and grappled with the roaring and snarling monster that was his fellow Rider.

"Ryuji!" Kenzaki yelled. "Snap out of it! Ryuji!" Kenzaki had been told that Ryuki would occasionally lose control of his Orphenoch form but Ryuji had been able to control it, so what was going on.

"Kill! Kill!" the Ifrit Orphenoch roared.

"Ryuji-kun, yamette!" Kotonoha pleaded. Neko's eyes went towards the emergency brake so she ran towards it and slammed her palm upon it.

The train came to a screeching halt, causing all the passengers to be affected by the inertia as they either fell out of their seats or stumbled at the sudden stop. The doors opened. Kenzaki was on his back with the Ifrit Orphenoch on top of him, snapping his jaws at him.

"This is your stop!" Kenzaki shouted as he kicked his opponent in the face and out through the door. Kenzaki stood up, Rider Pass in hand, as he ran out the door and after the Orphenoch.

"Ryuji-kun!" shouted Kotonoha.

Neko said to her, "Stay here!" before running after her boyfriend.

Kotonoha stood there, frozen in fear and confusion. Why had Ryuji suddenly turned into his monstrous form? It just didn't make sense. She felt something at her feet and looked down to see Ryuji's own black and silver Rider Pass. She squatted down and picked it up. Her face hardened in resolve as she said, "I need to go help him." Before the doors closed, Kotonoha ran out the train.

The Ifrit Orphenoch and Kenzaki ended up in a grassy field. The Orphenoch growled at Kenzaki who loosened his tie and threw off his jacket. The Garoh Belt formed and fastened itself around Kenzaki's waist. He pressed the gold colored button before swiping his Pass quickly over the belt.

"**RAMPAGE FORM!**"

After his initial Plat Form armor formed, his additional Rampage Form armor materialised before snapping onto his body, before finally the mask slid down his helmet and fitted itself to his faceplate with a snap.

"**Let's rock!**" Garoh shouted, Raion's personality mixed with his own. He quickly put the GaroGasher into the form of a long naginata before going on the attack.

Neko arrived to see sparks fly from both fighters as they aimed to injure each other. Garoh was aiming to knock some sense into Ryuji while Ryuji seemed to be interested in only killing the Rider. She grasped Gekiryuken tightly, ready to intervene if necessary. She heard some movement behind her and turned to see Kotonoha. "Kotonoha-chan!" gasped Neko. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if I could help," said Kotonoha as she watched the battle. Every hit Garoh would land on Ryuji, her Ryuji, caused her heart to break bit by bit. She couldn't stand and watch this as it was happening. "Ryuji-kun!" she called, pleadingly, "Ryuji-kun, yamette! Yamette!" She sobbed, "Yamette kudasai…"

Neko looked at this girl, this seemingly normal girl, trying to call out to her transformed boyfriend. This was a lot like Ryuki and Jinx's relationship. Whenever Ryuki ever lost control of himself, Jinx would be able to calm him down and make him change back. Could Kotonoha do the same for Ryuji, her brother's Yin?

Garoh was sent staggering backwards by various vicious claw swipes. Though he could feel pain, there was no doubt that some internal injuries would be received from the violent attack. Garoh recovered from the last hit and thrust his naginata at the Ifrit Orphenoch who dodged to the side, bit down on the shaft on the naginata, before tearing it out of Garoh's grip and throwing it aside. Garoh looked at his empty hands and gulped.

"**Not good…**" sad Garoh as the Ifrit Orphenoch roared and continued with his relentless assault.

"Ken-kun!" shouted Neko in fear. She called out, "Gekiryu…" but was halted when he felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at Kotonoha who'd just been taken over by Athena. "Athena?" Neko questioned.

A-Kotonoha gave Neko a nod and said, "Let Lady Kotonoha and I handle this. He's our man." Neko stood at her spot as she watched A-Kotonoha approach the battle. She was shocked when she saw the Ifrit Belt form around A-Kotonoha's waist. Could it be that…that…

"Masaka…" Neko uttered in disbelief.

A-Kotonoha pressed her thumb onto the switch and said, "Henshin!" before sliding the Pass into the belt's slot, activating it.

"**AMAZON FORM!**"

A tight black bodysuit appeared to cover Kotonoha's body along with green boots and gauntlets. The green torso armor and wing-like shoulder-pads formed and snapped onto her body. Finally, the helmet with the large black opaque lenses for eyes and the track in the middle formed. A sliding sound was heard as a blue visor shaped like a hawk's beak slid down and snapped on, resulting in the wings flanking the visor to spring out.

Kamen Rider Athena was born.

"What do you think, Lady Kotonoha?" Athena asked.

'_Sugoi. We're a Kamen Rider now_,' said Kotonoha in awe.

"OK, now it's time to bring your man back," said Athena confidently.

'_Are you sure this will work?_' asked Kotonoha doubtfully.

Athena responded, "We will knock the sense right back into him, Lady Kotonoha." She reached to the sides of her belt, which had black bars. Ifrit never had a Gasher since he always formed his own weapons from his ki but Kotonoha couldn't do that and neither could Athena. Athena reached to the left side of her belt and pulled off the bars there, stacking them together before tossing them into the air. She then reached to the right side of her belt and took the black bars there in her hand. The two joined pieces came flying down and Athena combined them together with the final two pieces with it in between. A green blade extended as she gripped her newly formed weapon within her hand. She then ran into the fray.

Another brutal slash sent Garoh reeling and falling to the ground before his armor disengaged, separating him and Raion. The Lion Imagin lay next to his friend as he looked up at the Ifrit Orphenoch. "Crap, we're screwed," Raion groaned in pain. The Ifrit Orphenoch let loose another roar before he lunged at them but was suddenly sent skidding backwards by a hard kick to the face. Kenzaki and Raion were surprised to see a Rider clad in green and brown. She turned to look at them and asked, "Are you both alright?" Kenzaki instantly recognized that voice.

"Athena?" Then that would mean… "Kotonoha-san?" Athena gave a nod to both questions before turning her attention back to the Ifrit Orphenoch.

"We shall handle this. He is ours after all." With a battlecry similar to Xena's from "Xena: Warrior Princess", the female Rider rushed at the Ifrit Orphenoch. She dodged all his attacks and countered with her own, slashing him all over his body with her sword. Kenzaki, Raion and Neko could only watch. Neko went to help Kenzaki back to his feet along with Raion. They watched helplessly as two lovers became enemies.

"This isn't right," said Neko. "They…they shouldn't be fighting like this…"

Kenzaki eyes narrowed. This was tough love. "It must be just as painful for her too."

And he was right. Kotonoha was in pain every time Athena would wound her beloved Ryuji. She wanted her partner to stop but with Ryuji filled with uncontrollable rage, the Amazon Imagin couldn't risk stopping in her attacks. She just couldn't. Kotonoha needed to reach her boyfriend. He was in that monster. '_Athena, let me take control!_'

"What!" Athena shouted back as she parried the claws aiming for her face. "Are you mad!"

'_Please!_'

Athena was in a dilemma. If she were to stop then the Ifrit Orphenoch would take advantage of her moment of hesitation and strike, but Kotonoha was confident she could handle it. Athena felt her respect for her host rise for wanting to take a dangerous risk so bravely, just like a real Amazon. "Alright. Here you go." Athena's consciousness retreated, letting Kotonoha back in the driver's seat. Kotonoha rolled to the side as the Orphenoch tried to impale her with his claws. She put her sword down and reached for her helmet. He turned to glare at her and roared before lunging at her. His claws extended, aiming straight for her face. Kotonoha then pulled off her helmet.

Time seemed to freeze as she did this and Kenzaki and Neko both looked on in shock as Kotonoha removed her helmet and threw it aside. They, however, were surprised to see the Ifrit Orphenoch suddenly stopping.

His claws were inches from her face and he was shaking. He couldn't move…he couldn't strike her…he couldn't strike this girl whom he'd grown so fond of…

"Ryuji-kun…" she pled. "Yamette." She started to cry, "Yamette kudasai…"

"Ko…Koto…Koto-chan…" the Ifrit Orphenoch uttered before he let out a growl. Emotions were flooding him. Regret, anger, but more importantly love for this girl. He shook, frozen by her gaze, transfixed by her tears. Kotonoha slowly approached him, the armor on her vanishing, before she looped her arms around him, resting her head next to his as she held him close.

"It's alright…you're safe…" she cooed. She then heard his voice.

"Get…out…" he growled.

"Ryuji-kun?" she questioned.

"Get…out…of…me…" he continued to growl, his body shifting back into human form before he shouted, "GET OUT OF ME!" Sand spilled off his body and piled up behind him before eventually reforming into the White Baboon Imagin. The Imagin growled. Its mission had failed and it was this girl's fault. Ryuji slumped in Kotonoha's arm, becoming limp as he finally returned to human form all the while the White Baboon Imagin got its spear ready.

"Stupid girl…" the White Baboon Imagin growled. "DIE!"

"RYUOU GIRI!"

The Imagin was frozen in it tracks when a glowing blade sliced it straight down the middle. The two halves split apart before exploding revealing Ryukendo as the one who'd finished it off. The Dragon Swordswoman looked towards Kotonoha who now had Ryuji lying on the ground with his head resting on her lap. She was combing her hand through his hair, a look of sadness on her face.

"We should take him home," said Ryukendo. "Forget school for today." Kenzaki came down with Raion next to him. The tune of the GaroLiner played through the air before the train in question came flying out of its portal. It stopped near them and opened its doors. Raion picked Ryuji up and carried him into the GaroLiner as Ryukendo helped Kotonoha back to her feet.

"Will he be alright?" asked Kotonoha.

"He will be," said Kenzaki confidently to reassure her. "Now, let's go."

Ryukendo's armor disappeared as her sword once again became her necklace, "Let's go, Kotonoha-chan."

"Hai," Kotonoha nodded, exhausted from the ordeal, as they all entered the time train. As soon as they entered, it flew into an exit portal.

* * *

It wasn't too hard to get Ryuji back home. Kotonoha was almost in hysterics at this point. Once the shock of her experience wore off, she began to cry and clutch Ryuji's body desperately. Kenzaki and Neko placed him on his bed and left the couple to heal. With their friends at rest, Kenzaki and Neko waited in the living room.

"How did that Imagin know Ryuji was an Orphenoch?" asked Kenzaki. "Imagin don't usually have that kind of sensing ability unless they take a form that has one."

"Either that Imagin had made a contract with someone who knew about it, or maybe our bounty told him," Neko frowned.

"What makes you think so?" asked Kenzaki.

"Well, that Imagin knew there was at least one Rider here," Neko explained. "That's expected since Ifrit-chan has been here for a while. But, this Imagin wasn't surprised at seeing us. Yes, it was angry that we got involved but not surprised to see us."

"So someone tipped him off," Kenzaki frowned. "He knows we're here."

"And our job just got harder," Neko frowned.

Frantic knocking came from the front door and Neko went to answer it. Grabbing the handle, she opened the door to see Sekai, Nanami, Hikari, and Otome with concerned looks on their faces. Makoto and Taisuke looked like they were about to enter the Gates of Hell.

"Yes?" Neko blinked.

"We heard that Hasuma turned into some kind of monster," Otome replied with some concern. "We wanted to make sure he's fine." How could they have known that? Someone must've gotten a picture and spread the story around school. There were a few students on that train as she recalled.

"He is a monster!" Taisuke whined. "He's gonna eat my soul!"

"Urusai!" Sekai frowned. "Hasuma is our friend and we owe it to him to see if he's okay!"

"But he doesn't even like you, Sekai!" Makoto argued.

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't care," Sekai huffed. She then turned to see Neko again. "So is it true? Is he okay?"

"Well, that baboon thing from the other night at the onsen was the one who did it," Neko explained as she let the group in. Taisuke and Makoto had to be dragged in though. "It possessed him and turned him into that thing." Neko was telling a half-truth. Nobody was meant to know that Ryuji was really an Orphenoch. It was a believable story since nobody was sure what the Imagin were capable of so turning someone into a monster wouldn't be much of a stretch.

"How terrible!" Nanami gasped. "What happened next?"

"The Riders showed up," Neko continued. "They managed to hold him off, but then Kotonoha-chan couldn't watch anymore. She charged right into the middle of it and made herself a target."

"Is she okay?" Sekai cried in fear. It was a feeling shared by the other members of their little group.

"Yeah," Neko smiled. "Ryuji-chan just couldn't let the monster hurt his Koto-chan. He managed to overpower it mentally and forced it out of his body. He changed back soon after."

"Wow," the girls breathed. None of them missed the obvious romance in the situation. To them, it must have been something out of a fantasy drama. They found themselves wishing that their man, or a future man, in their lives would be as deeply in love with them as Ryuji was with Kotonoha.

"How's Katsura-san doing?" Sekai asked in concern.

"Crying and afraid," Neko sighed. "She was so scared she would lose Ryuji-chan but now she's glad he's okay. He's still sleeping though. We're letting him rest. She hasn't left his side since."

"Well, tell her we came by to make sure they were okay," said Otome. "When we heard the news, we weren't sure if it was true or not."

"This would only make Hasuma seem scarier than he already is," Makoto stated casually. He got a few glares, "Hey, he turned into a monster! Of course he would be scary…"

**SLAP!**

Nobody had noticed Kotonoha coming out of the room nor saw her coming. She'd heard Makoto's words and had become angered by them. She then walked towards him and gave him a tight slap.

"Don't ever call Ryuji-kun a monster," Kotonoha said angrily. "He's a much better boyfriend than you ever were, Makoto-kun."

Everyone was surprised to see the sweet and quiet girl so angry, but that was a given seeing as she was also worried about the boy she loved. She no longer had the same feelings for Makoto, it seemed, but still considered him a friend. However, she would not allow anyone to badmouth her Ryuji-kun. He may be able to turn into a monster but he wasn't one despite the appearance of his true form.

"Kotonoha, I never meant…" he began before he sighed. "Sorry."

"I accept your apology, but please do no call him a monster after what happened," she said.

"How is he doing?" asked Neko.

"He's still asleep," Kotonoha replied. "He must be very tired after what happened."

"I can imagine," agreed Kenzaki.

"Well, we should be going now," said Sekai.

"I'll tell the teachers what happened," said Otome. "I'll just tell them you guys were too sick to come to school."

"Thank you," smiled Kotonoha.

"Hey, it's the least I could do," said Otome. "I hope Hasuma gets better."

The group left and Neko closed the door.

"You think we should tell Ifrit-chan they came?" asked Neko.

"He would be surprised," stated Kenzaki. "He may not like them that much, but he may appreciate them coming to see how he's doing. Maybe then he won't be such an asshole."

"Do not insult Ryuji-kun," said Kotonoha.

There was a knock on the door and Neko opened it to see a gentleman with short bluish black hair, a moustache, and wearing a black three-piece suit. The appearance of the man soon faded to be replaced by the familiar form of Loki. He had a shopping basket in his hands and a worried look in his eyes. He came in and spoke, "I sensed something had happened to Ryuji. Is he alright?"

"He's resting," said Kotonoha. She told Loki what'd happened and the Imagin gasped in shock.

"How horrible! I must make him his favorite meal when he awakens. After all this, he deserves it…"

They heard groaning and turned around to see Ryuji leaning against the wall with a hand on his forehead. "Kuso, you all are too noisy," he grumbled. "Urusei."

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried as she ran towards him and spoke, "You should be resting."

"I'm fine," he told her. "I'm too pissed to sleep. I wanna go after the guy that made me attack you." His voice was full of regret. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Kotonoha shook her head, "No, you managed to stop yourself before you could." Ryuji appeared relieved. Kotonoha took hold of his hand and led him back to his room.

"I'm betting they'll be having sex," whispered Kenzaki to Neko as they watched the couple disappear into Ryuji's room before closing the door.

"I don't think Kotonoha-chan is the type to take advantage of Ifrit-chan's current state," said Neko. "But, then again, I never expected that she already lost her virginity to him. She looks so innocent."

"They care deeply for each other," Loki defended. "This is just how they express it."

* * *

"This…is not good," Tatsuya frowned as the three Imagin reported in. "The White Baboon was supposed to kill a bunch of people and break Ifrit's spirit."

"Obviously Ifrit's spirit was too strong," one of the three Imagin stated.

"Much stronger than we thought," the second nodded. "His bond to the girl is incredible."

"Perhaps we can use her as bait for a trap?" asked the third.

"That's risky," Tatsuya sighed. "We know how those plans work out. We can't anticipate the reaction from the one the trap is set for. We have an inkling of Ifrit's power, but somehow I doubt we've seen the top."

"Indeed," a shadowed figure agreed, catching the attention of the man and three Imagin. "Sentient emotion is one of the most unpredictable things in the Multiverse. We'll set using Ifrit's woman as bait as one of the plans."

"Plans?" asked one of the three Imagin. "I take it you have one already?"

"I didn't get as far as I have without planning ahead," the figure grinned.

A grin than his four allies agreed with.

* * *

As soon as both teens entered the room Kotonoha took the initiative and straddled him when she got him lying down on the bed. Then, she teasingly stripped off her uniform. She started with the bowtie, then unbuttoning her jacket, while she slowly and teasingly undid the buttons of her white shirt, all the while rocking on top of him. He moaned at the sensual show she was giving him. She tossed her clothing away and continued to gyrate her hips. The only barrier between their privates was her panties and his pants.

She slowly started to remove his clothing. The tie and jacket had been thrown off before and now all that was in the way of her viewing his perfectly muscular body. She licked her lips in anticipation and bit her lower lip as the pleasure intensified with the soft rubbing. She unbuttoned his shirt and placed her hands on his chest, running her soft and cool hands down the surface. There were some small and barely noticeable scars but she ignored those. She leaned don and kissed him on the lips.

When she was naked from the waist up, her chest covered by her bra, he placed his hands on her hips and she'd gasped at the contact. He ran his hands up her sides, her stomach, before resting them on her breasts and squeezing. She moaned and gasped as he massaged and molested her. His hands reached behind her and unclasped her bra. He then rolled them over with him on top and started kissing her on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered as he started to nibble on her ear, causing her to gasp. "I love you," he repeated as he started to kiss his way down to her neck and gave her a few nips. Ryuji wasn't afraid to show his affection in public, he just never said those three special words in public. They were made special whenever they were together, alone and in private. She clutched his back, her nails digging into his back which he loved so much. He kissed his way to her chest and removed the bra from he chest. Kotonoha blushed but continued to enjoy the sensation of her bare chest pressing against his.

They stripped each other completely and made love. She'd climaxed more times than she could imagine and loved every moment of it.

Both teens lay next to each other, nude under the blanket with their fingers interlocked. Kotonoha had a fine sheen of sweat covering her and Ryuji would licked some of the beads off, enjoying the salty taste as she gasped whenever she felt him do it. What they both shared was something special.

"Ryuji-kun, aishiteru," spoke Kotonoha.

"I love you too, my Koto-chan. Ore no Tenshi," he said as he stroked her cheek.

"Again," she requested, closing the gap between them and rubbing herself against his body. "Please…?"

He just couldn't refuse her when she asked him like that. She was so beautiful and so irresistible. What was Makoto thinking just leaving her? That bastard. Makoto hadn't appreciated her affection as he should and now Kotonoha belonged to Ryuji. She was his as he was hers.

"Alright," he said. "Turn around." She did as told and her back was facing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and he pressed his chest against her back. He took in the scent of her hair. It smelt like strawberries. He kissed the back of her neck and adjusted herself. When he heard her moan, he knew he was doing it right. "Ready?"

"Yes…" she uttered weakly and then let out a moan as Ryuji began.

"I love you, Koto-chan," he whispered.

* * *

"They're getting it on," Kenzaki sighed. "He'll be pissed if he sees us here post coital."

"Boys," Neko sighed. "Nothing but hormones."

"Yet you love us anyway," Kenzaki grinned. "Still, when do you think he'll be back on his feet?"

"Well, we both know that recovering from an Imagin possession depends on the will of the one possessed," Neko shrugged. "But Ifrit-chan is an Orphenoch. It's hard to say exactly how long it will be."

"Don't Orphenochs heal really fast?" Kenzaki asked in confusion.

"It varies," Neko shrugged. "Most Orphenochs can heal fast, but that's with their genes degrading. Since Ifrit-chan is stable, he may heal at a regular pace or take longer since the need isn't as great."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Kenzaki.

"We need to catch this guy, Ken-kun," Neko gripped her fists. "He's hurt my brother and I want to take him down."

Kenzaki nodded in understanding.

* * *

"You don't have to stay here with me," Ryuji sighed. "Your parents might worry."

"It's OK. Neko-san called to let them know," Kotonoha smiled.

"When did you tell her to do that?" asked Ryuji, squinting down at her.

"When I had to go to the bathroom," Kotonoha smiled impishly, "That way I could come back to join you in bed faster."

They were both still in bed, cuddling, after numerous session of sex. Usually, anyone who'd gone through what Ryuji had wouldn't have the strength or energy but none of them were Orphenochs gifted with a regenerative healing factor. He'd regained his strength quickly enough to spend it all on Kotonoha while they made love all so vigorously.

Reflecting back on her life, Kotonoha realized just how much she'd changed in the time since she met Ryuji. She was sure she hit rock bottom when she discovered that Makoto was cheating on her. She had even tried to end her own life, but that was when Ryuji saved her and became her anchor in life. She had been a little afraid of him at first, but she then saw the truly kind, caring, and gentle person that he was. Kotonoha had been thanking the Kami for allowing him into her life.

Christmas had definitely been a time to remember. Kotonoha knew she was a quiet and reserved person, but she certainly hadn't seemed that way that night. She hadn't recalled screaming that loudly before or using her body in such ways. That had been a highpoint in her life without question. Losing her virginity to someone she loved dearly. The first time had been magical to say the least.

Kotonoha happily recalled all the times she had been intimate with Ryuji afterwards. Her parents were astounded at how bright and open she was beginning to become and her little sister thought Ryuji was just awesome. Kotonoha was personally amazed at how free with her body she was being with Ryuji. Of course, it helped that he held her like she was made of fine porcelain and also said she was as beautiful as a work of art. He had even called her such when she first revealed herself to him.

"I love you so much," she whispered as she pressed herself against Ryuji's warm body.

"Aishiteru," Ryuji whispered as he kissed Kotonoha's forehead. "I don't want to think where'd I'd be without you."

"Me neither," Kotonoha sighed as she basked in their shared warmth. She was so content that she didn't noticed Ryuji's hand sliding lower.

"EEP!" Kotonoha squeaked as she felt Ryuji squeeze her buns. "Ryuji-kun!"

"Sorry," Ryuji blushed. "It's like my hand has a mind of its own." His hands honestly did that by themselves sometimes. He wasn't complaining, but it was annoying sometimes. He tried to take it back, but Kotonoha's hand kept him in place. Looking down, he saw Kotonoha's smile.

"Don't be," she smiled. "It's a compliment to me. You think I'm…sexy."

"I'd have to be gay not to," Ryuji chuckled. "Does this mean I can grab your butt more often?"

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha giggled with a blush. "You're so silly."

* * *

At the dining table Athena and Loki both sat across from each other in awkward silence. Neko and Kenzaki had already left, leaving the two Imagin to protect their hosts. Both were silent because of their connection with their partners and were feeling whatever they were feeling.

"My goodness," Athena gasped. "That boy of yours sure is passionate."

"He has a good reason to be," Loki said, shifting in his seat. "Their love is only cemented by that act."

"Tell me about it," Athena said, flushed. "I thought all men were pigs and weren't so attentive when it came to things like this. I thought he would be the "Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am type"."

"And now you know better," said Loki. "He needs this after what happened. They both need this."

"I agree. I know enough about him to trust him with Lady Kotonoha. He would never betray or harm her."

"They should stop now, though," said Loki. "The food's getting cold."

* * *

The couple eventually got out of bed and got dressed. Ryuji lent Kotonoha one of his shirts and a pair of pants since she couldn't sleep in her uniform. Though, they could just sleep in the nude, which was something they'd grown accustomed to for a long time.

By the time they joined Athena and Loki, it was already past 2 o'clock. The couple sat across from each other, with their Imagin partners next to them, chatting animatedly about whatever came to mind.

Otome came by to drop off some homework assignments and asking how Ryuji was doing. He assured her that he would be in school tomorrow and so would Kotonoha. Relieved, Otome left.

Ryuji was surprised to hear that the group had come and visit. He never really liked Sekai, Makoto and Taisuke, but they'd come anyway and he appreciated the gesture. Maybe he could be a little nicer to them…maybe. He didn't have to do it now, though. He could hold it off until later. Loki, on the other hand, would enforce it. He did it during student council meetings because Ryuji's temper and impatience may get the better of him and cause trouble for the others.

After Setsuna's Kiyoura's departure, Sekai had been made the class rep of 1-3 with Makoto acting as her assistant. This meant they would be seeing each other a lot during the meetings. There weren't that many meetings since the year was slowly coming to an end. Valentine's Day was closing in around the corner and Ryuji wanted to do something special for Kotonoha. It was a custom for the girl to give the boy she liked chocolate and wait a month later for White Day to receive something in return, but Ryuji wasn't a traditionalist. He preferred to return the gesture on the same day. He planned on taking her to an exclusive restaurant on Valentine's Day for a dinner date. Then, they would go to a hotel and…

Come to think of it, sex seemed like one of the many constants in their relationship. They were smart enough to use protection to prevent unwanted pregnancies. They wanted to enjoy life and a baby would complicate things. Of course if Kotonoha did become pregnant, he wouldn't abandon her. He would take responsibility.

Ryuji noticed that he'd changed much. In the beginning, he'd been evil; influencing Ryuki into doing bad deeds and committing crimes, even murder. For some odd reason, he hadn't felt as murderous as before except when it came to fighting Imagin. He would give threats and beat up people who pissed him off, but he never murdered anyone.

His Orphenoch Gene was also stable and he could switch between his human and true form without any danger. But, he chose to live as a human with Kotonoha and that form would only come into play during dire emergencies.

He often wondered what Kotonoha saw in him. He'd originally wanted to save her from losing her sanity but slowly and surely grew fond of her as time went by. He'd started to protect her out of duty but then it became personal, which worried Warren since they would have to leave but Ryuji resolved firmly to stay for Kotonoha. If he left her, she would lost her mind and become a lifeless shell. That frightened him. That was the only thing that frightened him.

Now, here they were sitting at a dining table, eating, as they talked. She was so full of life now. She wasn't as shy as before and she had him for a boyfriend.

Life was perfect…for now.

* * *

The next day, Ryuji arrived at school with Kotonoha and as soon as he stepped foot onto school grounds, he noticed several stares and whispers. Obviously, they were still talking about yesterday when he'd turned into a monster. They gave him and Kotonoha a wide berth as they stepped into the building.

In his shoe locker, he found a photo of him turning into the Ifrit Orphenoch had been slipped inside. He tore the picture to pieces and slammed his locker shut.

The students were giving him scrutinizing looks and one of them even whispered, "Freak" under his breath. If Kotonoha wasn't with him, he would've slammed the guy's head into the wall before tossing him out the window. He was tempted, really.

They entered the classroom and Otome greeted them. Her friends, however, were giving them dirty looks. So what? He didn't care. As Kotonoha was about to sit down, he stopped her. He went to check her and his seats for anything and when he found nothing was relieved. Though he was considered a freak, everyone was too scared to do anything to him. He still had a frightening reputation and this latest turn of events just made him even scarier. He didn't care what they thought. They were idiots. Besides, this would eventually blow over.

"Hey," Neko greeted as she and Kenzaki came over to Kotonoha and Ryuji's desk. "How are you doing today, Ryuji-chan?" Neko only called him Ifrit-chan in private. In public it was Ryuji-chan.

"Well, I'm feeling better," said Ryuji, smiling slightly, which was a rare sight to see. He would scowl most of the time except when he was with Kotonoha. "Thanks for asking, Neko-nee."

"You must've had a good dose of TLC," Kenzaki winked. This comment made Ryuji turn away and cover his face with his hand. He knew what Kenzaki was implying.

"Urusei," he grumbled.

"Well, I gotta get to my own class," said Neko. She gave Kenzaki a kiss on the cheek before waving goodbye. "Ja ne."

The teacher came in and took attendance before starting class. While Ryuji was good at PE, he completely stunk at school. The only other subject he was good at was English in which he kept getting 100 for the tests. That was one thing that made others envious of him. He even got the most beautiful girl in class to date him. They just thought she could do so much better. Sometimes, even Ryuji doubted that he was right for her. He wasn't even human but she always told him reassuringly that they were meant for each other and nothing would change that.

* * *

Soon lunch came and Kenzaki was wandering the halls alone, trying to find Neko. "I wonder where she is," he thought aloud. "Maybe on the roof?" He found the staircase that led to the roof and quickly sprinted up the steps. He got to the door and was about to open it when he looked through the window. What he saw shocked him to the very core.

Standing there on the roof, was Makoto…and Neko…and their lips were touching! Not only that, Neko looked to be enjoying it and was holding Makoto against her! He wanted to go out there. Go out there beat Makoto within an inch of his life then throw him off the roof. But no, he'd wait. Get them both alone. First he'd kill Makoto; then he'd talk to Neko. He then turned and left. Before he got into the hallway he punched the wall, putting a large hole in it.

Meanwhile out on the roof, Neko had released Makoto. "Cute, but not my type. Wipe his mind, Mandrake," said 'Neko'. Spores fell from the sky before Makoto fell to the ground. 'Neko's' form rippled before being replaced by something less than human.

The Chameleon Imagin was green with purple markings. It had a frilly collar and cuffs around his wrists. Its hands were covered in white gloves and its feet had pointed up toes. Like a chameleon, it had bulbous green eyes and sharp teeth in its mouth. A long and purple tongue snaked out as it licked its lips. "Now, you know what to do, Mandrake," said the Chameleon Imagin. The figure hiding in the shadows nodded before vanishing.

* * *

Ryuji was walking the hallway. As he passed by the other students he took notice of his fellow Rider, Kenzaki, walking in the opposite direction. "Yo, Ken-" but before he could finish Kenzaki had walked right past him. Ryuji frowned and snorted as he looked over his shoulder, "Cheh, I try to be nice and he walks off." He had just gone to the bathroom before heading towards the cafeteria to have lunch with Kotonoha. Suddenly, his watch began to beep. His lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, one of them Imagin is here. This is going to be fun." He followed the signal on his watch, headed towards a fight.

* * *

The Chameleon Imagin was about to leave when the door leading to the roof was thrown open. It looked towards it to see Ryuji leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and Henshin Belt fastened around his waist. Ryuji too notice of Makoto's unconscious form and his frown deepened. As much as he disliked his girlfriend's ex, he didn't want him getting hurt like this.

"Ifrit," the Chameleon Imagin hissed.

"So, you've heard of me," said Ryuji. "Looks like I don't need to bother introducing myself."

The Chameleon Imagin hissed angrily before letting loose its tongue like a whip and lashing it at Ryuji. The young Rider dove out of harm's way and rolled over the floor before getting into a kneeling position on one knee. He stood up straight and pressed the switch on his belt.

"Now, watch closely, because I'm giving you a treat," said Ryuji as he held up his Pass. "Henshin!" He slid the Pass into his belt.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

The shards encased his body before becoming his armor and finally the visor slid down his helmet to fit itself onto his faceplate. The temperature dropped several degrees as Ifrit cracked his knuckles. "Let me tell you this from the start; I am very pissed off!" He then charged at the Imagin, hands covered in cold blue flames.

"Meet your maker, Rider!" roared the Chameleon Imagin as it charged right back.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Kotonoha, Neko and Sekai were sitting at a table. Sekai and Kotonoha were sitting next to each other with Neko sitting across from the two girls. As they were chatting and laughing, suddenly Kenzaki showed up and slammed his palm on the tabletop. He didn't look happy.

"Ken-kun?" Neko wondered. "What's wrong?"

"Why, Neko?" he questioned.

"Why what?" she questioned.

"Why were you on the roof kissing Itou?" he demanded. This caught some attention.

"What do you mean?" Neko questioned, confused. "Me and Itou?"

"I saw you!" he continued, raising his voice. "You were there with him and I saw you!" he accused.

"Tsukuba-san, when did you see Hasuma-san kissing Makoto?" asked Sekai.

"Stay out of this!" he snapped.

"Tsukuba-san, calm down!" said Kotonoha.

"Just, tell me…" he said.

"Ken-kun," Neko frowned. "I wasn't on the roof. I was here with Kotonoha-chan and Sekai-chan the whole time."

Kenzaki blinked. For years he'd learnt to read people and tell if they were lying. Looking into Neko's unblinking eyes, he could see that she was telling the truth…but, then, what about what he…

**BOOM!**

The loud explosion took everyone's attention away from the drama and towards the window.

One of the students, a boy, shouted, "It's the Rider! It's Kamen Rider Ifrit!"

Kotonoha froze. "Ryuji-kun," she uttered under her breath.

Outside the building, the Rider and Imagin had created a large crater from their landing which resulted in the explosion. Smoke surrounded them and rose up as they circled each other. Ifrit already had his Ifrit Dao joined together into his dual-bladed weapon while the Imagin was armed with a purple rapier.

"I'm still pissed when that baboon buddy of yours took my body over," growled Ifrit. "So, I'll just take it out on you!" Ifrit then attacked, swinging his blades as he went for the Imagin's head. The Imagin slipped to the side, dodging the swings as Ifrit continued. "Stand still, teme!" shouted Ifrit.

"No way!" grinned the Chameleon Imagin as he stabbed with his rapier, striking Ifrit in the chest and causing him to reel backwards. "You're going to die, Rider!" the Chameleon Imagin opened its mouth and shot a stream of fire at Ifrit. He screamed out in anguish as the heat went through his armor. The stream of flames stopped revealing scorch marks on the panting Rider. Grinning, the Imagin opened its mouth again to lash out at the Rider. Sparks flew as he screamed while under assault.

Kotonoha watched, horrified, as she covered her mouth. '_Ryuji-kun…_' she thought. He was getting killed out there.

Ifrit lay on the ground, shivering in pain as the Chameleon Imagin approached him. It used the tip of its blade to lift up Ifrit's chin. "I thought you'd be tougher. Oh, well." It drew back its sword, ready to thrust it through the helmet and Ifrit's skull. "Sayonara, Kamen Rider!"

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Shots bombarded into the Chameleon Imagin's back and it turned to look at who'd interrupted in its fun. It snarled as it saw Garoh in his Savage Form aiming his gun at him. "DIE!" the Imagin roared and spewed a fireball at Garoh. Garoh threw his own fireball, cancelling out his opponent's.

"**Heh, I'm a dragon. I don't think fire is going to help you,**" said Garoh with a laugh.

The original plan had been to break the Wolf Rider's spirit by assuming Neko's form. It hadn't worked yet but maybe if given enough time…

The Chameleon Imagin shouted, "Mandrake!"

"**Mandrake?**" questioned Garoh and then he noticed spores falling like snow around him. "**Huh?**"

**BOOOM!**

"**ARGH!**" screamed Garoh in shock as the spores exploded all over his body.

"See you later," the Chameleon Imagin saluted before it vanished. The spores continued to fall all over Garoh, making it unable for him to escape. When the Chameleon had gone, the spores stopped falling but the damage had already been done.

"Kuso…" cursed Ifrit as he gripped his fists and pushed himself back onto his hands and knees. He picked himself up, weakly, and then unleashed a roar, "RAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" The temperature fell again causing the students to shiver, even inside the building. He then rushed off with Garoh following.

* * *

The two Imagin, sadly, managed to get away. Still, Kenzaki and Ryuji were out looking for clues. The school had to be let out early since a lot of students were scared for their safety. Neko and Kotonoha went back to the Katsura residence together since Neko didn't want to go back to the apartment yet. Kokoro would still be at school for a while and Kotonoha's parents were out working again.

"I can't believe Ken-kun!" Neko raged. "What's wrong with him! He should know me better than that! I'd never cheat on him. Especially with Itou! I could do way better!"

"Um…seeing someone you love with someone else can be a big shock though," Kotonoha argued. "When I heard Sekai-san and Makoto-kun confessing to each other, I was so confused. I could barely tell up from down."

Neko had to admit that Kotonoha had a point. She had to see the one she thought she love cheat on her for another woman. If anyone knew what it was like to see someone cheat on you, it was her. It was part of the reason why she followed her (almost) sister-in-law back to her home.

"But I thought Ken-kun knew me better," Neko sighed/whined. "I thought he trusted me."

"I'm sure he does," Kotonoha replied as she and Neko sat in her living room. "But it's hard to refuse something you see with your own eyes."

"I guess," Neko shrugged.

"Katsura-san is right, Ojou-sama," Gekiryuken agreed. "People often take what they see in front of them as the truth. It is probably what those Imagin were hoping for. They wanted to disrupt your bond with Kenzaki."

"Well they did a good job," Neko frowned. She looked up to Kotonoha. "So…how did you deal with it?"

Neko already knew the answer, having heard the adventure and knowing how the anime which was based on this timeline went. She still needed to hear someone saying it though.

"I really couldn't," Kotonoha sighed. "I actually tried to kill myself, but Ryuji-kun saved me. He helped me every step of the way and gave me his heart. I think that day was when he started to steal mine."

"Any advice for someone who went through something similar?" asked Neko with a wistful smile. Kotonoha sure was lucky. So was Ryuji.

"Seek out the one you love the most," Kotonoha smiled. "It will all work out in their arms."

Neko gave Kotonoha's words a few thoughts and smiled, "Arigatou."

* * *

As the Chameleon and Mandrake Imagin arrived in the forest, they were greeted by Tatsuya and the figure. The Mandrake Imagin looked terrifying. It had a green skull for a head, leaves for hair, a collar of leaves, leaves sprouting out of its shoulders and leaves on its forearms and shins. The parts not covered in leaves were brown and wood-like. Around its waist were seed pods. Its toes and fingertips were pointed and looked like roots.

"Well, it looks like your plan failed. The Wolf Rider's spirit wasn't broken when I took his girl's form," said the Chameleon.

"My plans don't fail," said the figure. "All you did was merely plant the seeds of doubt. Soon enough his spirit will break. And when that happens, we will be there to finish the job. Tatsuya, I leave you in charge." With that the figure vanished.

Tatsuya instructed, "Chameleon, you are to continue your psychological warfare on Garoh. Keep him questioning himself. Mandrake, your job is to take care of Ryukendo. Knock her out, do whatever you have to, but don't kill her. Nanimo says he wants her alive. When she's taken care of, go after Ifrit. Like I said; by any means necessary."

"And what about him?" asked the Chameleon Imagin, pointing to the large, bulky figure hiding in the shadows.

"Druk?" asked Tatsuya. "His mission is to destroy the most recent arrival, Wraith." The three Imagin nodded before vanishing.

* * *

Kenzaki was walking through town. Like Neko, he didn't want to head back to the apartment yet, but he did want to get some air. "Man, this world must be messing with my head," groaned Kenzaki. His relationship with Neko had turned to total crap since they had arrived in this world. Neko was mad at him now, and he highly doubted that giving her a kiss and saying he was sorry was going to fix things. "I can't wait till we take down Tatsuya and get outta here."

However, Kenzaki was unaware that he was being followed by a familiar reptilian Imagin.

* * *

Ryuji was riding his bike, a black Kawasaki with blue accents, as he sped along the road. He wore a black leather jackets and a black helmet with a blue tinted visor. Blue flames decorated his helmet and the edges of his jacket.

"Damn that Imagin," growled Ryuji. Ryuji hated it when his opponents would flee and leave a fight unfinished. That was his obsession. He loved to fight. It gave him an unbelievable thrill. Obviously, he was an adrenaline junkie and fighting the Imagin gave him the adrenaline high he loved so much. He loved the feeling as his heart rate went up and the adrenaline pumping through his body. He just couldn't get enough of it. That was why he enjoyed sex with Kotonoha so much. The feeling was just so addictive.

As Ryuji raced past a sidewalk, Warren could only look at the young Rider disapprovingly. Though Ryuji wasn't as violent as before, he still had a temper. Coupled with his obsession for fighting and his addiction for adrenaline, the Ifrit Rider could become a liability due to his rage and could get himself killed.

Meditation was out of the question since Ryuji couldn't stay in one place for a long time. His way of meditation involved hitting a punching bag over and over. Not a good way to deal with anger but it was the only way he knew how. At least being with Kotonoha kept him calm and sane. Loki and Athena also helped to keep Ryuji in line.

"Things are not going well right now," Warren frowned.

Sighing, he stood up from the bench he was sitting on. As he was just beginning to move, he felt a familiar presence of an Imagin appearing nearby. Turning slowly, he saw an Imagin standing on the sidewalk with people screaming and running away. Frowning, Warren slowly turned to face the Imagin.

"Hello, Wraith," the Imagin laughed. "I have an invitation from a friend of mine." The Imagin was pure muscle with golden armor covering it from head to doe. A dragon's head decorated its chest. It had sharp claws and blades protruding from its wrists. Hanging behind it was a golden cape with black lining. Its head a combination of humanoid and draconic with a long horn on its forehead pointing forward and a pair of horns shaped like lightning bolts curved backwards. It also had a mane of hair and sharp teeth as it grinned at the Rider.

"You do, do you?" Warren frowned.

"Yes," the Imagin laughed. "Let me give you directions. By the way, my name is Druk." Electricity crackled around Druk's body as Warren got ready to fight.

* * *

The Mandrake Imagin stood in front of the Katsura residence and grinned. This was where Ryukendo was and so this would be her grave. The Imagin leapt up and over the gate, landing on the other side, its soft feet making no sound as it landed on the grass. It removed two pods from its belt and gripped them. "Time to bring the house down," it snickered.

Inside the house, both Neko and Kotonoha were giggling as they exchanged stories about their boyfriends, unaware and unsuspecting of the danger that would soon befall upon them.


	4. Broken Nightmare Corruption

As the Chameleon and Mandrake Imagin arrived in the forest, they were greeted by Tatsuya and the figure. The Mandrake Imagin looked terrifying. It had a green skull for a head, leaves for hair, a collar of leaves, leaves sprouting out of its shoulders and leaves on its forearms and shins. The parts not covered in leaves were brown and wood-like. Around its waist were seed pods. Its toes and fingertips were pointed and looked like roots.

"Well, it looks like your plan failed. The Wolf Rider's spirit wasn't broken when I took his girl's form," said the Chameleon.

"My plans don't fail," said the figure. "All you did was merely plant the seeds of doubt. Soon enough his spirit will break. And when that happens, we will be there to finish the job. Tatsuya, I leave you in charge." With that the figure vanished.

Tatsuya instructed, "Chameleon, you are to continue your psychological warfare on Garoh. Keep him questioning himself. Mandrake, your job is to take care of Ryukendo. Knock her out, do whatever you have to, but don't kill her. Nanimo says he wants her alive. When she's taken care of, go after Ifrit. Like I said; by any means necessary."

"And what about him?" asked the Chameleon Imagin, pointing to the large, bulky figure hiding in the shadows.

"Druk?" asked Tatsuya. "His mission is to destroy the most recent arrival, Wraith." The three Imagin nodded before vanishing.

* * *

Kenzaki was walking through town. Like Neko, he didn't want to head back to the apartment yet, but he did want to get some air. "Man, this world must be messing with my head," groaned Kenzaki. His relationship with Neko had turned to total crap since they had arrived in this world. Neko was mad at him now, and he highly doubted that giving her a kiss and saying he was sorry was going to fix things. "I can't wait till we take down Tatsuya and get outta here."

However, Kenzaki was unaware that he was being followed by a familiar reptilian Imagin.

* * *

Ryuji was riding his bike, a black Kawasaki with blue accents, as he sped along the road. He wore a black leather jacket and a black helmet with a blue tinted visor. Blue flames decorated his helmet and the edges of his jacket.

"Damn that Imagin," growled Ryuji. Ryuji hated it when his opponents would flee and leave a fight unfinished. That was his obsession. He loved to fight. It gave him an unbelievable rush. Obviously, he was an adrenaline junkie and fighting the Imagin gave him the adrenaline high he loved so much. He loved the feeling as his heart rate went up and the adrenaline pumping through his body. He just couldn't get enough of it. That was why he enjoyed sex with Kotonoha so much. The feeling was just so addictive.

As Ryuji raced past a sidewalk, Warren could only look at the young Rider disapprovingly. Though Ryuji wasn't as violent as before, he still had a temper. Coupled with his obsession for fighting and his addiction for adrenaline, the Ifrit Rider could become a liability due to his rage and could get himself killed.

Meditation was out of the question since Ryuji couldn't stay put in one place for a long time. His way of meditation involved hitting a punching bag over and over. Not a good way to deal with anger. At least being with Kotonoha kept him calm and sane. Loki and Athena also helped to keep Ryuji in line.

"Things are not going well right now," Warren frowned.

Sighing, he stood up from the bench he was sitting on. As he was just beginning to move, he felt a familiar presence of an Imagin appearing nearby. Turning slowly, he saw an Imagin standing on the sidewalk with people screaming and running away. Frowning, Warren slowly turned to face the Imagin.

"Hello, Wraith," the Imagin laughed. "I have an invitation from a friend of mine." The Imagin was pure muscle with golden armor covering it from head to doe. A dragon's head decorated its chest. It had sharp claws and blades protruding from its wrists. Hanging behind it was a golden cape with black lining. Its head a combination of humanoid and draconic with a long horn on its forehead pointing forward and a pair of horns shaped like lightning bolts curved backwards. It also had a mane of hair and sharp teeth as it grinned at the Rider.

"You do, do you?" Warren frowned.

"Yes," the Imagin laughed. "Let me give you directions. By the way, my name is Druk." Electricity crackled around Druk's body as Warren got ready to fight.

* * *

The Mandrake Imagin stood in front of the Katsura residence and grinned. This was where Ryukendo was and so this would be her grave. The Imagin leapt up and over the gate, landing on the other side, its soft feet making no sound as it landed on the grass. It removed two pods from its belt and gripped them. "Time to bring the house down," it snickered.

Inside the house, both Neko and Kotonoha were giggling as they exchanged stories about their boyfriends, unaware and unsuspecting of the danger that would soon befall upon them.

* * *

"**BROKEN NIGHTMARE CORRUPTION"**

* * *

Ryuji was still searching for the two Imagin who'd eluded him. He was on the open road and the traffic was light. His watch hadn't alerted him. While he was driving, a voice spoke in his head.

'_Ryuji, you should come home and rest and let me take a look at your wounds_,' spoke Loki.

"I'm fine," Ryuji responded.

'_But_-' Loki's voice was blocked out before he could finish. Ryuji was speeding down the streets when he noticed a man standing in the middle of the road. Ryuji braked as hard as he could and swerved, swinging around the man before coming to a stop.

"Oi, yarou! What the hell is wrong with you!" shouted Ryuji as he flipped his visor to look at the guy who'd stood in his way. The man was wearing black pants, a blue shirt and a blue jacket. His hair was short and black. His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses.

"Actually," the man smirked as he reached inside his jacket and pulled something out, "Nothing is wrong with me, _Ifrit_."

Ryuji removed his helmet as he glared at the man before dismounting from his ride. "Who the fuck are you?" Ryuji questioned.

The item the man took out from his jacket was a belt. It had a purple leather strap and a square buckle that looked like two jaws with sharp fangs. In the centre was a black orb. To the left of the buckle was a button. It was a Rider Belt!

"I am known as Tatsuya Hirakawa," the man said as he removed his sunglasses. With a swing the man fastened the belt around his waist. He looked towards Ryuji with his slanted red eyes.

Ryuji growled. This was Kenzaki and Neko's bounty. No wonder he looked so familiar.

"But to you, I am your executioner," he continued as he put his sunglasses into his jacket and took out a rectangular train pass with an 'N' stamped across it.

"So, you want a fight?" asked Ryuji. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his own belt. "Then you got it!"

Tatsuya pressed the button on his belt and said, "Henshin," before swiping his Pass over the buckle.

Acting quickly, Ryuji fastened on his own belt and slid in his Pass. "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

"**NIGHTMARE FORM!**"

Tatsuya's armor formed over his body. It was an all black Plat Form suit and as soon as it finished forming, the additional armor pieces for his Rider suit also appeared before slamming onto his body. The shoulders resembled skulls and the chestplate had a horizontal row of sharp teeth. A pair of spikes protruded from his back. The final piece was a black bat that slid over his helmet. The head of the bat folded in as the wings attached themselves to the faceplate, becoming the visor. The red membranes of the wings flashed, signifying the transformation's completion.

Ifrit stared at his opponent and grinned. "So, you're supposed to be a Kamen Rider?"

"_Call me Morpheus_," the evil Rider said, in a voice different from his own. Obviously he was possessed by an Imagin and cooperating with it.

"Well, now I have a name to inscribe on your tomb stone!" shouted Ifrit as he went on the attack. He threw his fist at Morpheus only for his opponent to catch it in his hand. "Huh?"

"_That temper of yours will be the death of you_," said Morpheus. He then threw Ifrit backwards. Ifrit landed on his feet as he watched Morpheus detach his Gasher pieces from his belt, one at a time and putting them together. Once completed in a vertical line, the Gasher extended. At the top, a curve blade extended and sharpened, forming a scythe. "_Now, this is much better._"

Ifrit's hands became coated in blue flames which formed and solidified into his Ifrit Dao. With a smirk, he said, "Let's dance."

* * *

Warren leapt away as a bolt of lightning struck where he had been standing. "Well, you're serious, aren't you?" asked Warren.

"I really am…" Druk turned his body into electricity and shot past Warren, grabbing a young girl who had been running toward her mother. And with that, the Imagin had sealed his death. You see, the little girl he had grabbed was none other than…

"Daddy!" screamed Tessa, reaching out for her father.

Warren glared at the Imagin. He slowly reached up and removed his sunglasses, revealing his empty black eyes. "That…was a very big mistake," said Warren. He then vanished momentarily before appearing behind the Imagin. The Imagin looked for his hostage and noticed she was no longer in his grasp. Instead, she was now clutching protectively to her father. He set Tessa down and smiled gently. "Tessa, go find mommy. Daddy's gonna beat the monster now," he assured. Tessa was crying but she nodded and ran off toward Raven and Teresa, who were waiting nearby.

"What? Telling the little girl goodbye?" taunted the Imagin.

"No. I told her to pray for you. For the second you threatened my family…" Warren pulled out his buckle, and slid it into his belt. "Your fate was sealed." He slammed his fist into his buckle, causing it to crack. "SHATTER!"

* * *

The Mandrake Imagin juggled the two pods in his hands. They were actually bombs that would explode as soon as he threw them. "Say bye –bye, Ryukendo," the Imagin chortled.

"Goodbye," the Imagin heard before he turned and got hit in the face with a shovel, hard. Holding the shovel was none other than Kotonoha and standing beside her was Neko.

"What!" the Imagin gaped. "How!"

"Geki-chan here sensed you," said Neko as she pointed to her pendant. "Also, I could hear and smell you a mile away. You stink." The two girls had snuck out through the back door and silently crept behind the Imagin as it was juggling.

Growling, the Imagin got back to its feet but then the shovel came at its head sliced its head clean off as the edge had been aimed right for its throat. Green 'blood' splashed across the ground as its body collapsed onto the floor.

Neko knew Kotonoha had a hidden mean streak. She could see it in the girl's eyes. Maybe she was mad because these evil Imagin had ruined her day and she wanted to relieve some stress.

"There," Kotonoha said as she exhaled.

"Actually, that was a bit too easy," said Neko.

"She's right," the Mandrake Imagin said as it got back to its feet, its severed head in its hands. It then connected the head back to its neck, allowing tendrils to join them back together. "You're going to die for that, girl."

"Kotonoha-chan, get in the house," instructed Neko as she turned Gekiryuken into his sword form. He gripped her weapon tightly in both hands. "I'll take care of this." Kotonoha nodded before running off.

"You can't run!" the Imagin shouted with a sneer as he went after Kotonoha but got slashed for his trouble. "Damn you!"

"Your opponent is me," said Neko as her eyes narrowed. "So, get ready. Gekiryu Henshin!"

* * *

"So, here you are Ken-kun," said a voice behind Kenzaki. He turned to see Neko walking toward him. Of course it wasn't really Neko, but the Chameleon Imagin in disguise. "You have a lot of nerve accusing me of cheating on you."

Kenzaki's eyes narrowed in suspicion but he decided to play along, "Well, what do you expect me to think when I saw you locking lips with Itou?"

'Neko's' frown deepened, "Well, maybe we should break up then, buster! I could do a whole lot better than a freak with metal skin!"

That comment hurt Kenzaki. This may or may not be Neko, but to hear those words coming from her mouth and in her voice made his heartbreak.

"Heck, I can find someone better even! You just wanna have sex with me!"

That caused Kenzaki to relive his guilt regarding the matter. He continued, "Well, you're just ungrateful! I saved you and this is how you repay me?"

"You tried to kill me!" 'Neko' snapped. "Tried to put a bullet in my head!"

Kenzaki gripped his fists. He still felt guilty about their first meeting and had apologized. She'd forgiven him but the guilt never went away. He knew this wasn't Neko, but this fake was voicing out the things that were troubling him, like how Neko could still possibly love him.

"Answer me!" 'Neko' demanded.

Kenzaki turned around, his back facing the false Neko. "You know, you got your Intel wrong," said Kenzaki. "Neko has red eyes, not blue." He turned to face 'Neko'.

The Imagin blinked and the storm blue eyes turned a menacing red. "Are you blind? I've had red eyes all along," said 'Neko'. Kenzaki then drew back his fist and slammed it into the Imagin's face, causing the illusion to fade.

"Oh, that's right. Neko has blue eyes. Her sister Kat, who I hate by the way, has red eyes. Thanks for making that easy for me," said Kenzaki as he cracked his knuckles. He the reached into his jacket and swung the Rider Belt around his waist before pulling out his Rider Pass. "Henshin!" he called before transforming into Plat Form. Garoh then pulled out a cell phone out of one of the pouches on his belt. He dialed 3-6-9-# and ENTER.

"**OKA-BYA-RAI-BURA!**" said the phone. "**EMPEROR FORM!**"

* * *

Druk was obviously mistaken if he thought taking out Wraith was going to be easy. Since the Imagin had threatened his daughter, Wraith wasn't pulling any punches. Two chains shot out of Wraith's arms and lifted the Imagin into the air before slamming him into the ground. Wraith then pulled the chains back in, slamming his foot into the Imagin's gut, causing it to double over.

"What the hell are you?" groaned the Imagin.

"One really pissed off dad," replied Wraith as he drew his guns and began firing. Each shot knocked the Imagin backward. Warren then holstered his guns and pressed the white button on his belt. "Rider Kick," said a mechanical voice that somehow sounded angelic. Chains shot out from Wraith's arms, ensnaring the Thunder Dragon Imagin.

The chains wrapped around Druk, trapping him like a rat. The Rider leapt high into the air, the chains fastened tightly to both his arms and the creature. "_HEAVEN'S CRASH!_" he called. He then pulled the chains, causing him to plummet toward the demon. His foot connected with the Imagin, causing a powerful shockwave, knocking dust into the air. When the dust cleared, the Rider was on the other side of Druk, who now sported a large hole going right through the center of him. The chains were still fastened tightly around Druk. "Fall to the shadows, and never return," spoke the Rider. With a wave of his arm the chains shattered away, and the Imagin fell into nothingness.

"Daddy!" cheered Tessa as she ran towards her father. He gripped his helmet and removed it, allowing it to vanish along with his suit. He knelt down and caught his daughter who was crying.

"It's okay, Tessa. Daddy's alright," he assured his little girl.

"Arf! Arf!" a small dog barked as it ran towards the daughter and father. This was Chaco. She once belonged to Mr. J, the Alligator Orphenoch. Warren honored his enemy by taking care of Chaco and giving her a home. Tessa and Alex loved her.

"Chaco," Warren smiled as he pet the dog. However, he felt uneasy. The fight…could it be…?

* * *

The Mandrake Imagin was annoying Ryukendo to no ends. Despite how many times she slashed at it or sliced off one of its limbs, it would regenerate by ensnaring any of its dismembered body parts in vines and then attaching it to its body. It disgusted her since its green blood would ooze from the stumps before vines grew out and reconnected the pieces of its body back together.

It had tried to use its sleeping and paralysis spores on her but luckily for her that her armor protected her.

The two were fighting on the roof. The Imagin attacked with the explosive pods around its waist and Ryukendo nearly got knocked backwards by the concussive blasts. She knew that this Imagin could do a lot of damage and thus sent Kotonoha way to safety.

"Kuso," cursed Ryukendo. "This thing is annoying!"

"Ojou-sama, don't lose your temper!" advised Ryukendo. "You'll get sloppy."

"I know that!" she snapped.

The Mandrake Imagin then aimed its palms at her and fired off its spores. The spores fell around Ryukendo and she realized what they were but she was unable to dodge as the spores made contact and sparks exploded off her body as she screamed. She was forced to her knees as the pain continued to ravage her body.

The Mandrake Imagin snickered as it grasped two more explosive pods. "First you, then the girl. Maybe I can keep that fancy sword as a souvenir."

Ryukendo gripped her weapon tightly and got back to her feet. "Fat chance!"

"Well, looks like it's time to shut you up and finish you off!" the Imagin juggled its pods and then caught them. "Sayonara!" It was about to throw its pods when a pair of hands grabbed its wrists from behind. "What!"

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that," said Athena.

"Athena?" Ryukendo gaped.

"I swore to protect Lady Kotonoha, and thus I shall assist you, sister," said Athena with a smile. "Now, do it!"

"Hai!" Ryukendo nodded.

"Let me go, traitorous bitch!" the Mandrake Imagin howled as it tried to struggled from Athena's grasp. It released a cloud of paralyzing spores from its head to stun Athena but it didn't seem to be working. This horrified it greatly and now it could feel heat emanating from its original target. "Oh, shit…"

"Ryuou!" Ryukendo called out as her blade became enveloped in flames. "Kaen Giri!" She charged and then swiped her sword across the Imagin's chest. Athena let go and fell backwards but Ryukendo lunged and grabbed her before she fell off the roof. The Mandrake Imagin wasn't as lucky as the flames completely engulfed its body and turned its body to ash.

Ryukendo landed on the grass, holding Athena bridal style. "Athena-chan, are you okay?" Ryukendo asked. The Amazon Imagin gazed upon Ryukendo and blushed before nodding. "I should get you inside. Maybe Kotonoha-chan can help wash off those spores."

"Come inside," Kotonoha invited as she opened the front door. Ryukendo walked inside, carrying Athena. Kotonoha looked upon her partner who was silent.

"She's paralyzed," said Ryukendo. "That thing used its spores on her."

"Put her in the bath tub and use the showerhead to wash those spores off," instructed Kotonoha. Ryukendo nodded and walked towards the bathroom as Kotonoha pointed to where it was.

Kotonoha was worried, though. She felt it growing. She knew her Ryuji was out there but she could feel something awful would befall him.

"Be careful, Ryuji-kun," she prayed.

* * *

Sparks flew as swords met scythe. Both Morpheus and Ifrit were fighting furiously. For Ifrit, this was the most fun he was having in ages. The thrill of battle was exhilarating and he wanted more. Morpheus was a worthy opponent and he was going to enjoy this for all it was worth.

For Morpheus, this was a chance to gauge Ifrit's power and skill. The Rider had defeated many Imagin before and thus gained some attention for it. Nanimo had told him all he needed to know about the Rider's past.

As Ifrit and Morpheus' weapons ended up in a deadlock, the evil Kamen Rider began to speak, "_You feel it, don't you?_"

"What are you on about?" demanded Ifrit as he pushed back with his twin Dao.

"_I'm talking about your instincts. You want to destroy me, I can tell that much._"

"Of course. You're the enemy," retorted Ifrit.

"_I can also see that you and I aren't so different._"

"You don't know anything about me!" snapped Ifrit.

"_I know you're not human_." Ifrit froze at his words before Morpheus continued, "_You're just a monster wearing human skin. No different from Imagin who take possession of humans._"

"Shut up!" Ifrit growled.

"_Deep down, you're filled with a thirst that needs to be quenched; a hunger that needs to be satisfied. You enjoy fighting the Imagin because it allows you to destroy them. You wish to destroy, to kill and to cause pain. You don't really care for this world. You only protect it so you can fight the Imagin_."

"Shut up!" Ifrit said again, trying to drown out the words.

"_Anger, aggression, rage; that all you are, isn't it? You're not just a monster. You're half a man. You're the Yin half of someone else. You can only feel anger, hate and vengeance. There's no place for emotions like love or happiness_."

"Shut up!" Ifrit repeated, trying to deny those words.

"_You're never happy and how do you know what you feel for that girl is indeed love and not lust. Face it, deep down, you know this is true. You're a monster and there's nothing you can do to change that. Your school knows you turned into a monster. Everyone has been giving you dirty looks and those who don't look upon you in pity, like an injured animal. You can never truly belong here. Maybe that girl just thinks of you as a pet. You do follow her around like a puppy_."

Ifrit gritted his teeth as he was forced to listen. "URUSEI!" He jumped backwards from a slash aimed for his chest. Morpheus looked across to stare at Ifrit. The Rider was shaking. Morpheus smirked under his helmet. Breaking him would be easy.

Ifrit went into a stance with his arms spread, gripping his blades. "GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Gengi! Kyofu Toppu!" He raised one leg and started to spin like a tornado and then moved straight for Morpheus.

Morpheus fearlessly and casually took out his N-Pass and swiped it over his belt. "**FULL CHARGE!**" the belt spoke in a demonic voice as it transferred energy into his scythe. The curved blade began to glow. He threw his Pass over his shoulder and gripped his weapon horizontally as he watched the 'Terror Top' coming closer. "_Come and get it_," said Morpheus.

Ifrit came in close to slice Morpheus' head clean off. Unfortunately, his attack…

**FLASH!**

**SLASH!**

Both combatants froze as they stood on opposite ends, their backs towards each other. Morpheus stumbled a bit and dropped onto one knee, his grip on his scythe failing. Ifrit, however…

"Ugh," Ifrit groaned.

Ifrit, however…

He dropped his swords.

Ifrit, however…

His swords fell from his hands as his armor shattered.

Ifrit, however…was defeated.

Ryuji collapsed onto his knees before dropping to the ground. Morpheus stood up and turned to look at his defeated opponent. He picked up his scythe and turned around to walk towards Ryuji. He walked around and stood over Ryuji who looked up at him with rage-filled eyes. "Teme…" Ryuji gasped out.

"_Sayonara, Kamen Rider Ifrit_," Morpheus said as he raised his scythe.

Ryuji didn't know what else happened as his vision faded into darkness.

* * *

Kotonoha gasped and dropped her cup of tea. It spilled its contents all over the plush rug as she suddenly stood up. "Ryuji…"

* * *

The Chameleon Imagin was sent staggering backwards by Garoh's fist as he continued to pummel the reptile viciously. This was payback for making him doubt Neko and so this Imagin would pay.

The Imagin turned invisible at the last second and Garoh's fist hit nothing but thin air.

"_Shonen__, focus!_" commanded Okami. "_Use your senses! Sniff him out!_"

"I know!" snapped Garoh as he looked around. "Guys, you sense him?"

"_I'm getting nadda, bos_s," reported Raion.

"_This reptile is slippery_," added Byakko.

"_Maybe he ran off?_" suggested Buraki.

Suddenly, a barrage of fireballs shot out of nowhere and Garoh leapt back to dodge them. He landed on the ground as he looked ahead and was shocked.

There stood his mother, father and sister, but they looked pale, like ghosts.

"How could you?" his mother said. "How could you?"

"To fall in love with that girl," his sister said, "It's unforgiveable."

"You should avenge us," his father said. "Kill her. Kill that girl who did this to us."

Garoh looked at his 'family' and snorted, "Sorry, but you gotta try better than that. I already visited my family with Neko and they love her. My world has been restored so you can stop with the act."

The image of his parents faded away, revealing an irate Chameleon Imagin. "Fine then!" roared the Imagin. "I'll kill you myself!" He charged at Garoh.

Garoh pressed the ENTER button again before passing his Pass over the belt.

"**CHARGE AND UP!**" the belt announced.

Garoh, Buraki, Byakko, Okami and Raion all roared together as they dashed at the Imagin, his entire armor glowing with a multicolor aura as lightning arched all around him. His wings spread out and took him into the air and then went into a flying sidekick. He rocketed straight towards his target. "**IMPERIAL SMASH!**" roared Garoh and all the Imagin as they, literally, smashed into the Imagin, sending it sliding backward. Garoh landed in front of the Imagin and lifted him up.

"Talk. I know Tatsuya's not smart enough to pull off something like this, so who? Who's pulling the strings!" demanded Garoh.

"Nani…Nanimo…" groaned the Imagin before it turned to sand and fell to the ground, defeated.

"No…It can't be him…" said Garoh in shock.

* * *

"Something happened to Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha trembled. "He doesn't take this long for a fight."

"I'm sure he's okay," Neko reassured the scared girl

After taking down the Imagin, Neko decided to relax with Kotonoha. They tried to get some tea and calm themselves, but they hadn't heard from the boys yet. Kenzaki wasn't calling and Ryuji hadn't been seen since.

"I get worried," Kotonoha confessed. "Whenever he fights an Imagin or goes to the past to defeat them, I get extremely worried." Her hands were clutched together. "Especially when he goes into the past. I'm afraid that he won't come back."

"Ifrit-chan is strong," Neko said confidently. "He won't lose to an Imagin."

"I know that, but still…"

"Tadaima, Onee-chan!" Kokoro greeted as she came into the living room. "Oh, Neko-neechan is here too!"

"Okaeri, Kokoro-chan," greeted Kotonoha as she smiled.

"Konichiwa, Kokoro-chan," Neko waved.

Kokoro approached her sister and then saw the troubled look in Kotonoha's eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Kotonoha shook her head. "I'm fine."

"I heard monsters attacked your school again," said Kokoro. "It was all over the news. Is Ryuji-niichan OK?"

"He is," Kotonoha answered but she wasn't sure herself. Maybe she could call him later to make sure. He always had his cell phone on him. "He's perfectly fine."

Kokoro seemed satisfied by the answer and smiled, "OK." She then ran up the stairs to her room.

"I'm going to call him," said Kotonoha as she took out her cell phone. She searched her phone book and selected Ryuji's name. She placed the phone against her ear, muttering, "Pick up, pick up…"

The response she got was, "_The number you have dialed is currently unavailable._"

Kotonoha stared at her cell phone, frightened, as she listened to the recording over and over. "No…Ryuji…"

"Maybe he's busy?" Neko reasoned.

"Nobody else calls him but me!" Kotonoha said. "I'm sure something-" There was a knock at the door. Kotonoha got up and answered to see Loki in his holographic human disguise.

"Loki!" Kotonoha gasped as she took notice of the disguised Imagin's panicky state. Loki was panting.

"Ryuji…I can't sense Ryuji!" he told her.

Kotonoha wore a horrified look on her face.

* * *

Warren picked up Ryuji's watch which was lying next to the smashed up cell phone. He muttered, "This is bad…Ryuji's gone MIA."

* * *

In an undisclosed location, Ryuji was lying on a table with his ankles, wrists and neck bound to keep him still as he remained unconscious. Tatsuya had brought him to Nanimo. Standing besides Tatsuya was an Imagin that looked like a living black shadow with red eyes and long tendrils hanging from behind its back. It had long fingers and didn't have any facial features.

"You've done well, Tatsuya," said Nanimo. "You were able to subdue Ifrit and bring him here to me."

"Well, I had help," Tatsuya huffed, gesturing towards the black creature known as the Nightmare Imagin. "I don't think I could've done it alone."

"Well, you're welcome," nodded Nanimo. "I can sense a lot of rage, anger and hate in this one," he continued as he stroked Ryuji's face. "Such inhuman rage."

"Tell me about it," said Tatsuya. "He looked ready to rip my head off."

"He would've," Nanimo agreed. "I also sense his connection to that girl. It is strong, but not unbreakable…"

"So, you're going to use him against the bounty hunters? What about me?" asked Tatsuya.

"Oh, you'll be able to fight too, but I need to do some tweaking." Nanimo snapped his fingers,

"What do you mean?" Tatsuya asked curiously.

"As an Orphenoch, he has powerful shields against psychics," explained Nanimo. "Telepaths will only hit a wall. But, Nightmare can enter into his dreams."

"Dreams? How would that help?"

"Nightmares can look to be so real. Sometimes you can't tell them from reality, and I am going to break him with his greatest fears and make him experience the worst horrors repeatedly until his mind is completely broken. Then he will make an ideal puppet."

"Hope one of your plans actually works," Tatsuya frowned. "Breaking bonds in the hunters proved to have limited or no success."

"Don't…doubt…me," Nanimo growled dangerous.

Shaking its head, the Nightmare Imagin turned itself into a glowing orb and entered Ryuji's body.

* * *

Several Days Later…

Kenzaki and Neko had gone out for a walk. Ryuji was still missing and they were all worried in their own way. Kotonoha was obviously the most worried of them all. She had become quiet and depressed but there was still hope in her eyes, hope that Ryuji would return. Luckily she had Athena to act as a pillar for support.

Kenzaki and Neko were out under the pretence of looking for the wayward Rider, but in truth, were sorting out their own relationship problems. This wasn't a date, per se, just a walk shared between two people who cared for one another. They were in the shopping district and talked about things in general.

Of course, the subject of Ryuji and Kotonoha did arise.

"Kotonoha hasn't been the same since Ryuji went missing," Kenzaki said. "When I see her in class, she just sits there quietly."

"She's worried," Neko replied. "It's natural. Even Loki is worried because their link has been broken and he can't track Ryuji. We need more clues to find where he is."

Kenzaki had a suspicion. Nanimo was behind this. Tatsuya was just a minor nuisance now compared to Nanimo.

"Um…Neko?" he began, remembering a conversation he had with the Chameleon Imagin who'd disguised itself as Neko.

"Nani, Ken-kun?" she blinked.

"Why do you like me? I mean I tried to kill you the first time we met?" he questioned.

Neko frowned, "Must we go over this again? I mean I can't believe you love me either."

"How can I not?" he responded.

"Because…I wear **her** face," she answered. She turned away as she continued, "No matter what you say, I will always remember what she did to your family and what she did to your world and many others. I can't forget that."

"Neko…" He then wrapped his arms around her from behind. She gasped. "Why do you love me? I'm a freak with metal skin. How can you love me?"

"Baka," she said as her eyes starting tearing up. "You're not a freak. Even if you are, then I'm a freak too."

"That's not true," he assured her.

"And as to why I love you, I'll give you the same answer I did on our first date," she turned in his arms and looked into his eyes. "Because you have a big heart. You're brave and you care for others. You're also dedicated and loyal. Plus, you love me despite my flaws."

"Neko…" he smiled before she took hold of his face and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She gave a bright smile before meowing caught her attention.

"Oh, look, kittens!" Neko eyes brightened. She giggled as she looked into a store window. They'd stopped in front of a pet shop and she was looking at the cute little kittens that were on display. They were playing around in their little window. "Kawaii!" she squealed.

Kenzaki smiled as he watched Neko cooing at the kittens. Maybe he should get her one. She liked cats since her room could be considered a shrine to them with the wallpaper, figurines and stuffed animals. She may be a bounty hunter and warrior, but she was still a girl.

Maybe this gift could help with their relationship.

* * *

Kotonoha was in Ryuji's apartment. She would come every day to see if Ryuji had returned and even waited on the couch. She was desperate. She felt her heart was breaking bit by bit everyday that Ryuji was gone. Otome was kind enough to talk to her and give her words of encouragement, even Sekai and Makoto. Still it didn't quell her worry.

She held onto her cell phone, sending text message after text message to Ryuji, even though his phone had been smashed to pieces. Maybe this was her way of coping. She was obsessed with making sure he was alright, wherever he was.

Athena would tell her to never give up hope and trust that Warren and the others would find Ryuji. Kotonoha had her doubts but she never lost hope. She didn't want to think that…

She just hoped Ryuji wasn't suffering.

Loki placed down a plate of freshly baked cookies in front of Kotonoha. They were chocolate chip. "Here you go," he said. "Please enjoy."

"Thank you," Kotonoha said as she took one of the cookies, her voice filled with sorrow. '_Ryuji loves chocolate chip cookies. He smiles more when he eats them._'

Loki sat down and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much. Ryuji is strong."

"Are you worried?" she asked Loki.

"Ryuji is my partner," Loki responded. "Of course I am worried, but I know that he's a fighter. He can survive anything."

Kotonoha clutched her phone tightly. This was just like the time when Makoto had ignored her but she knew Ryuji wasn't ignoring her. He'd been taken away from her. Horrible thoughts started to flood her mind. She wanted those that had taken her beloved to pay.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a heart-shaped piece. It was cool to the touch. Not surprising since it was made of ice. Ryuji had given it to her on Christmas. It was his gift to her. He hadn't bought it. He'd made it with his own powers. It was a symbol. It represented how he'd given her his heart and that a part of him would always be with her. Since the day he'd gone missing, Kotonoha carried it with her every day. Originally, she'd kept it in a box full of the valuable things she and Ryuji had collected during their relationship. They appeared to be small trinkets to most but not to her. They were special.

She held the ice crystal against her heart, closing her eyes. She prayed for Ryuji's safe return.

* * *

Tatsuya and Nanimo watched as Ryuji continued to scream due to the Nightmare Imagin's power. For days he'd been subjugated under this form of torture. His body hadn't been harmed in any way since they needed him to be strong for their plans. His mind, however, was another thing.

Ryuji had been forced to experience the same nightmare, over and over again. He saw many images. He saw Makoto and Taisuke rape Kotonoha. He saw Sekai murdering Kotonoha. He saw himself in his Orphenoch form killing and destroying. Every single day, for hours, had he been forced to see these images in his mind, breaking him bit by bit.

It wouldn't be long until Ryuji was ready to become one of his servants. Breaking his mind like this was just so much fun to watch. The Nightmare Imagin even extracted some interesting information from Ryuji's mind.

In Nanimo's hands was a black and red mask with one half represented "Comedy" as the other half represented "Tragedy".

"He's a fighter, I can tell you that," said Tatsuya. "It's been days and he still hasn't broken down yet."

"All things take time," said Nanimo. "Even Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Yeah, but it's been 5 days." Tatsuya crossed his arms, "He's a tough nut to crack."

"Not for any longer. Soon those images will hack away at his soul and sanity. Nobody can watch their loved ones suffering over and over again without leaving any scars. I need him to be in that condition because I need him to kill the Wolf Rider."

"I'm curious," spoke up Tatsuya. "What do you have against Kenzaki anyway?"

Nanimo turned away, angered at the mention of Kenzaki's name, "It's personal. That bastard left me to die. I plan on making him wish he was dead."

* * *

"_Onii-san! Wait!" called a young boy, only eight._

"_Hayaku, Nanimo! If mom and dad get home before we do, we'll be in big trouble!" shouted a young Kenzaki, who was only ten._

"_You're the one who thought it'd be a good idea to do this!"_

"_Hey, who wouldn't want to check out an old army base?" asked Kenzaki as he stopped, waiting for his little brother. He also needed to catch his breath, so he leaned against the pole behind him. However, the pole was weak and gave out. "AH!" shouted Kenzaki as he began falling. He reached out and grasped the railing._

"_Onii-san!" shouted Nanimo as he went to help his brother. The young boy grabbed his older brothers arm and began pulling, as Kenzaki began pulling himself up. Soon Kenzaki was back up on the railing, panting. "Are you OK?"_

"_Yeah, thanks, Nanimo," said Kenzaki. The railing began to shake, and soon, Kenzaki was holding on for dear life, but Nanimo wasn't lucky or fast enough and he fell off the railing, toward the bubbling vat of silvery liquid below. "Nanimo!"_

"_Onii-san!" shouted the boy as he hit the liquid. The metal shot upward and splashed onto Kenzaki, quickly covering his torso and arms. _

"_Onii-san!" was all Kenzaki heard as he lost consciousness._

* * *

That day replayed in Kenzaki's mind over and over again, haunting his dreams. Neko didn't notice the troubled look on his face as she looked over the cute kittens. They all stared up at her curiously, as if sensing she was just like them. When she reached inside, they all padded towards her hand and started rubbing their heads against it. She just loved the feeling of her skin against the soft fur of kittens. She wanted them all but unfortunately she could really take one home. The GaroLiner had a strict policy when it came to pets.

"Ken-kun, I'll take this one," she said as she called to him. He was silent. "Ken-kun?"

"Oh, sorry, Neko," he responded after realizing she'd been talking to him. "What is it?"

Neko frowned but then smiled as she pointed to a kitten which had orange fur and black stripes. "I want that one. It reminds me of Garfield."

"Sure," Kenzaki nodded. However, he couldn't get his mind off Nanimo. '_Nanimo…where are you?_'

* * *

Nanimo shut his eyes and then turned towards Ryuji who'd stopped screaming. The golden orb left his body and reformed into the Nightmare Imagin.

"It is done," said Nanimo. "Get him dressed. I have an assignment for him."

* * *

The two stepped out of the pet shop together, Neko's new kitten riding inside a pink pet carrier. Kenzaki had brought it for her and she'd repaid him by kissing him. He was one step closer to fixing their relationship.

"Arigatou, Ken-kun," beamed Neko.

Kenzaki smiled but instantly his face held an expression of panic. He could sense something violent coming their way, filled with intense Ki.

"WATCH OUT!" Kenzaki shouted as he pushed Neko out of the way. She held onto her new kitten protectively as she watched Kenzaki being smashed into the ground.

**CRASH!**

"KEN-KUN!" she screamed. Dust flew everywhere from the explosive impact but Neko could make out a figure standing over Kenzaki. The dust subsided and now Neko's eyes widened.

The assailant was dressed in a full black bodysuit with red gloves and matching boots. He also had long black hair pulled into a tight braid. However, what shocked Neko the most was the mask he wore. A half red and black Comedy/Tragedy mask. She knew that mask anywhere. It was the mask her brother had worn under the service of Slade when he had been known as Ifrit. The black hair was a tell-tale sign of the assailant's identity.

"Ryuji…" she uttered.

Ryuji was on one knee and had his right hand firmly gripping Kenzaki's throat. Kenzaki struggled. He gripped the wrist and tried to pull off Ryuji's hand but his attacker wasn't loosening his grip. He was tightening it. Despite unable to feel pain, Kenzaki was slowly losing air as the grip on his throat tightened.

**SMASH!**

Neko had smashed a sign over Ryuji's head, forcing him to remove his hold on Kenzaki's neck. Focusing onto his Violet Fierce Ki, Kenzaki shouted, "Ro Ro Shu!" and kicked Ryuji hard in the stomach. The force sent Ryuji flying across the sidewalk and into a tree, which broke in half due to the impact. The force of the impact even knocked off his mask.

"Ken-kun!" shouted Neko as she helped her boyfriend up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her, messaging his neck as he took deep breaths. "What about the cat?"

"Right here!" said Raion, holding the pet carrier with the kitten inside. "Neko called for help so we're here!" Standing with him were Buraki, Okami and Byakko."

"We will assist you in defeating this foe, Kenzaki-sama!" said Byakko confidently.

Kenzaki gave a nod of thanks and turned to look at their enemy who'd started walking towards them. His mask hung in his hands as he strode towards them. That was when Kenzaki got a good look at his face and eyes.

"That's…Ryuji," said Kenzaki in shock.

"I kinda figured it out from the mask and hair," said Neko. "But his eyes are all wrong."

And she was right. Ryuji's eyes were cold, blue, and soulless. He wore a neutral expression. He wasn't smiling or scowling. He just looked like a lifeless shell. As he stepped towards them, ice formed on the spot his foot touched and spread. The temperature went down several more degrees as he fixed an eerie and unblinking gaze upon them.

"What happened to him?" Neko asked.

"Nanimo," growled Kenzaki.

* * *

As Kotonoha stared at her phone blankly, ignoring the television, all of a sudden there was a sudden newsflash.

"_This is the scene in Sakakino City's shopping district," reported the anchor as a video feed showed the destruction of the area. It would seemingly appear to be another monster attack but in reality the Riders are fighting each other_." Kotonoha lifted up her head to see and gasped when she saw it. Garoh and Ryukendo…were facing Ifrit.

"Ryuji!" she gasped. Loki came out of the kitchen when he heard her cry.

"What's wrong, Kotonoha-san?" he asked. She pointed to the TV and his eyes widened in shock. "It's Ryuji!"

"But why is he fighting Kenzaki-san and Neko-san?" Kotonoha questioned. A part of her was relieved to see Ryuji again but another part of her was confused. Why was Ryuji fighting his sister and her boyfriend? They weren't enemies.

Athena exited Kotonoha's body and said, "That's what we should find out. Lady Kotonoha, Loki, let's go!"

"Hai!" Kotonoha nodded, determined to find out what was going on. She couldn't let this fight continue.

* * *

"Look at him; the perfect warrior. No fear, no remorse, and no will of his own," spoke Nanimo as he and Tatsuya watched as the three warriors did battle. "Everything is going according to plan."

"What about the other Rider, Wraith? Or Ifrit's girl? Those two may complicate matters," said Tatsuya.

"That is why you are here. The second the girl shows up, you are to take action. Until then, we wait." Nanimo wanted to watch as Garoh was killed by his own friend. '_You brought this on yourself, brother_.'

* * *

Garoh Emperor Form screamed as he was slashed across the chest by Ifrit and sent tumbling to the ground. Ifrit then lunged at Ryukendo and started swiping at her with his swords like crazy. She attempted to parry his strikes but one last one slipped through her defenses and she took a hit to the arm, causing her to drop Gekiryuken. Ifrit then sent her flying with a vicious kick to the chest. Garoh caught her as she willed Gekiryuken back into her hand.

"How is he so strong?" Ryukendo asked. "I mean he had trouble fighting you before but now he's kicking both our butts."

"Mythical Ki," growled Garoh.

"Huh?"

"He's using the Mythical Ki he's developed since studying GenJyuKen and is using all of it," Garoh explained. "You can see if you take a look."

Ryukendo's eyes narrowed and she noticed the golden energy flare out of Ifrit's body. "OK, now I see it."

Ifrit crossed his blades and they both glowed. The Dao in his left hand glowed blue while the one in his right hand glowed red. They then ignited with cold blue flames and red hot flames, respectively.

"Fire!" Ryukendo shouted, gaping. "But he could only use ice!"

"Now he has access to the full potential of his style," said Garoh. '_Damn that Nanimo. What did you do to him?_'

Okami snarled, "_Damn Gaki is going to be tough to beat now_."

Buraki said confidently, "_Let me at him! I can take him!_"

Ifrit looked towards his two opponents coldly before twirling his two swords around and around, streaks of flames spinning around him before he crouched down.

"Here it comes!" shouted Garoh as he stood up. "Get ready!"

Ifrit didn't make a sound before he swung his swords in an arch, unleashing two crescent blades of hot and cold fire.

"DODGE!" yelled Garoh as he jumped to the side. Ryukendo leapt in the opposite section. The blades sliced through the ground but Garoh was unlucky enough and took a hit from the cold blade and screamed.

"Garoh-chan!" Ryukendo shouted.

"I'm fine!" Garoh retorted as he held his right side which had gotten hit. It was starting to become covered in ice.

"_Brr! I know I wanted to be cool, but not like that!_" Raion quipped.

Okami snapped, "_Shut your whining. Shonen, use the Imoogi's power to warm yourself up!_"

Garoh placed his left hand to his right side and focused on Buraki's fire power.

"Time to fight fire with fire!" shouted Garoh as he engulfed both hands in flames. "Ryukendo!"

"Hai!" Ryukendo shouted but she was hesitating. She looked across from them as Ifrit made his way towards them. She steeled her heart and engulfed her blade in flames. "I'm ready!"

"**ATTACK!**" Garoh and his Imagin all shouted as he attacked. Garoh took swipes at Ifrit who was blocking with the flat side of his Dao. Garoh growled and unleashed a punch.

"GON GON KEN!" shouted Garoh as he threw his fist, engulfed in Violet Fierce Ki, straight at Ifrit who blocked by crossing both swords. Garoh's fist slammed into them and sent Ifrit skidding backwards. He stopped by stabbing his blades into the ground.

"Ryukendo! Now!" shouted Garoh.

"Ryuou Kaen Giri!" Ryukendo shouted as she dropped down from above and performed an overhead swung. Ifrit looked up, took up both his swords, and then crossed them above his head to block. The force of Ryukendo's attack caused the ground under Ifrit's feet to crack in a spider-web pattern. Unleashing Mythical Ki, Ifrit threw Ryukendo backwards and she landed on her feet. He banished his blades and decided to do this with his bare hands. He snapped his fingers and enveloped his hands in flames. Flexing his fingers he then went into a crouch like an animal and eyed the two Riders in front of him. Like an animal, he ran on all fours straight at them. He picked up speed and before Neko and Ryukendo could react, he slashed them both across the chest. He then bounded off the ground and slashed them again, and again, jumping all over the place. When he finally stopped his assault, parts of Garoh and Ryukendo's armors were either covered in ice or scorched. It wasn't looking good for either of them.

He summoned his Dao once again and walked towards them. It was time to finish them.

Suddenly, several shots bombarded against his chest, sending him staggering backwards. His chestplate was smoking and he looked up to see who'd attacked him.

Wraith.

"Hey, you two!" shouted Wraith as he ran over and helped Ryukendo and Garoh up. "You okay?"

"I've had better days," responded Garoh.

"Same here," groaned Ryukendo.

"What happened to Ifrit?" Wraith asked. "I mean it's like he's…"

"Someone messed with his head," growled Ryukendo. "We have to stop him and then help him."

"That is if he doesn't kill us first," said Garoh.

Ifrit spread his arms outwards, his blades gripped tightly in his hands before he started to spin around and around, red and blue flames surrounded him before he became a tornado and charged for the three Riders.

"HOLD ON!" ordered Garoh. The trio of Riders jumped out of the way and then grabbed onto anything that was attached to the ground like a railing, a fire hydrant or a tree. They braced themselves. Anything else that wasn't bolted to the ground was sucked into the vortex, became frozen, burnt and then sliced apart by the destructive force of the tornado. After several moments Ifrit stopped spinning and was unaffected. He didn't even look like he was dizzy from using that attack.

"OK, he's stronger than he should be," said Wraith.

"We need to force him out of his armor and subdue him," said Garoh. "Then we can repair whatever damage has been done to him."

"If we survive," said Ryukendo.

"Ojou-sama, do not lose faith. We will be able to save him," said Ryukendo.

"I hope so."

Ifrit stared his three opponents down. He joined his swords into his dual-bladed weapon and then charged at the trio of Riders. They were the enemy and had to be destroyed.

* * *

"He's taking on all three of them by himself," Tatsuya admired.

"Yes, my finest work," smirked Nanimo. "Obedient and doesn't question orders. Just a puppet that follows orders to a 'T'."

"Uh oh," said Tatsuya as he looked in another direction. "Look who's coming."

"Ifrit's girl?" Nanimo frowned.

"Not only that, but his Imagin and that girl's too." Tatsuya took out his henshin belt. "Well, looks like it's my turn."

* * *

Kotonoha, along with Loki and Athena, arrived at the scene to see Ifrit fighting against Wraith, Ryukendo, Garoh and winning. Though Kotonoha was relieved to see her boyfriend had returned, she was frightened too because he was attacking his fellow Riders without any qualms.

"Loki, what's wrong with him?" asked Kotonoha.

"There's something wrong with his mind," Loki focused. "It's all broken like someone tore it apart."

"What?"

"I'll try to fix him. The others are distracting him so maybe I can-"

"_Do nothing_," someone spoke as a black blur rushed forward and attacked Loki. The Imagin was struck across the chest and then sent to the ground with a fist to the face. Athena went to draw her sword but was knocked backwards and into a lamppost by a powerful strike to the chest. Kotonoha gasped. Everything had happened so fast. Standing in front of her was none other than Kamen Rider Morpheus.

"_So, you're Ifrit's girl_," said Morpheus. "_You're kinda cute. Too bad I have to deal with you_."

"What have you done to Ryuji-kun?" said Kotonoha as she reached behind her back.

"_Let's just say we revealed his true nature_," chuckled Morpheus. "_Deep down he's a monster. We just helped liberate him_."

Kotonoha acted quickly and drew the dozuki she'd hidden behind her back and swung it at Morpheus, aiming for his throat. However, he managed to grab her wrist and with a squeeze caused her to drop her weapon.

"_Little girls shouldn't play with sharp things_," scolded Morpheus mockingly. He put his left foot under the dozuki and kicked it up into his free hand. "_Now, let's see how you like it. Maybe I should carve a permanent smile on your face._"

As the blade came close, Kotonoha shivered in terror. Only one thing came to mind: screaming.

So, she screamed.

"RYUUUUUUUJIIIIIII-KUUUUUUUUUUN!"

Ifrit froze when he heard the scream and turned around. "Ko-Koto-chan?" He stopped attacking Garoh, Wraith and Ryukendo who didn't seem like they could take anymore judging from the damage on their armor.

"_He can't save you_," said Morpheus as he pressed the edge of the dozuki against her face. "_Say 'bye-bye'_."

Kotonoha closed her eyes. After several agonizing seconds she felt…nothing. The blade was no longer on her face. When she heard the sound of the dozuki clatter on the ground, she dared to open her eyes to see what was going on and gasped.

Morpheus was standing, frozen, with a Dao driven through his back and out his chest. He shivered as he turned his head around to see Ifrit standing with his grip on the Dao. "_W-What?_" Slowly, ice began to spread from the wound. It began to cover Morpheus even after Ifrit withdrew the blade. "_How…how can this…?_" He was unable to finish his sentence as he was completely frozen. Ifrit twirled both his Dao and performed a series of swings before banishing them. With a snap of his fingers, Morpheus's body collapsed into several frozen pieces at the Rider and girl's feet.

Kotonoha looked up to his helmet covered face. "Ryuji-kun?" she asked. "Is that you?"

Ifrit reached up and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. He then ran them up her neck before resting on her face, caressing her cheeks.

"Koto…chan?" he questioned. Kotonoha placed her hands on his.

"Yes, it's me."

"Koto…chan," his voice shook. "Koto…chan…" His armor vanished as he removed his hold on her face and embraced her, burying his face into her bosom. "Koto-chan!" He was crying.

"It's okay," she cooed softly. "You're safe now." She combed her hand through his hair. "Everything is going to be okay." Kotonoha vowed to undo the damage that'd been caused to Ryuji once she figured out what'd happened. Garoh, Wraith and Ryukendo watched the scene, stunned.

"Wow, she saved the day," Wraith said in awe.

"And our lives," added Ryukendo.

Garoh looked up towards a building and narrowed his eyes. He could see a figure standing there before it vanished. Could it be? "Nanimo?"

Ryukendo kept hearing about this Nanimo character and she was going to get answers. Not right now, though. Now they had to take care of Ryuji who had been broken.

* * *

Nanimo sighed as he returned to his hidden lair. "Tatsuya's dead. Oh well, he was of no use to me anymore anyway." At his side the Nightmare Imagin appeared, having survived Tatsuya's death. "I could always find a replacement anyway, though." He held up the N-Pass. "Any fool who wants power. It would be easy."

* * *

After returning to his apartment, Ryuji was once more placed in bed with Kotonoha and Loki watching over him. Warren, Kenzaki and Neko were in the living room. Neko's eyes were trained on Kenzaki. Right now it was time for answers.

"OK, Ken-kun, it's time for you to tell us who Nanimo is," demanded Neko.

"Neko, I…"

"We deserve to know," Warren frowned. "He did this to Ryuji so we deserve to know what's going on."

Kenzaki frowned. "Very well. Nanimo is…Nanimo is…" He paused. "Nanimo is my brother."

You could hear a pin drop from a mile away due to the silence. Seconds later, Neko screamed, "YOUR WHAT!"

* * *

Kotonoha sat motionlessly as she watched over Ryuji, who was resting after his traumatic experience. Loki had given him a cool cloth to help keep his temperature down, but Kotonoha was offering a much more important support. Ryuji's hand was clutching her hand almost like a vice. Normal folks might have experienced some pain, but Kotonoha felt how much Ryuji needed her to be there. He needed her desperately and she knew it. Keeping him safe was more than enough to block out any pain she might feel.

For the first time in her life, Kotonoha felt like she wanted to murder someone. She had felt an inkling of this feeling when she found out Makoto was cheating on her with Sekai, but Ryuji had smothered those flames with his love. Now though, with him emotionally wounded like she was, the flames had become an inferno. Kotonoha wanted to kill the one who hurt the man she loved so much.

"I'm going to kill him," she murmured.

"Kotonoha-san?" Loki gasped in shock.

"The one who did this to my koibito (lover)," she whispered. "I want to make the one who did this suffer. Ryuji-kun saved my life, saved my heart, gave me his, and even stole mine. He is…Kami's gift to me."

Loki remained silent. Kotonoha was slipping into the frame of mind that Ryuji commented she had at the end of the anime which was based off this world. Being an Imagin, Loki was well-versed in the realms of alternate timelines and different dimensions. He was especially proud and happy for his contractor had saved and fell in love with Kotonoha. He had also been told that Kotonoha had become blank and cold near the end of the series. It seemed she was beginning to get that way again.

'_Wake up quickly, Ryuji,_' Loki silently prayed. '_Kotonoha-san needs you. Please, before she does something she will regret._'


	5. Mind Blowing Journey

After returning to his apartment, Ryuji was once more placed in bed with Kotonoha and Loki watching over him. Warren, Kenzaki and Neko were in the living room. Neko's eyes were trained on Kenzaki. Right now it was time for answers.

"OK, Ken-kun, it's time for you to tell us who Nanimo is," demanded Neko.

"Neko, I…"

"We deserve to know," Warren frowned. "He did this to Ryuji so we deserve to know what's going on."

Kenzaki frowned. "Very well. Nanimo is…Nanimo is…" He paused. "Nanimo is my brother."

You could hear a pin drop from a mile away due to the silence. Seconds later, Neko screamed, "YOUR WHAT!"

* * *

Kotonoha sat motionlessly as she watched over Ryuji, who was resting after his traumatic experience. Loki had given him a cool cloth to help keep his temperature down, but Kotonoha was offering a much more important support. Ryuji's hand was clutching her hand almost like a vice. Normal folks might have experienced some pain, but Kotonoha felt how much Ryuji needed her to be there. He needed her desperately and she knew it. Keeping him safe was more than enough to block out any pain she might feel.

For the first time in her life, Kotonoha felt like she wanted to murder someone. She had felt an inkling of this feeling when she found out Makoto was cheating on her with Sekai, but Ryuji had smothered those flames with his love. Now though, with him emotionally wounded like she was, the flames had become an inferno. Kotonoha wanted to kill the one who hurt the man she loved so much.

"I'm going to kill him," she murmured.

"Kotonoha-san?" Loki gasped in shock.

"The one who did this to my koibito (lover)," she whispered. "I want to make the one who did this suffer. Ryuji-kun saved my life, saved my heart, gave me his, and even stole mine. He is…Kami's gift to me."

Loki remained silent. Kotonoha was slipping into the frame of mind that Ryuji commented she had at the end of the anime which was based off this world. Being an Imagin, Loki was well-versed in the realms of alternate timelines and different dimensions. He was especially proud and happy for his contractor had saved and fell in love with Kotonoha. He had also been told that Kotonoha had become blank and cold near the end of the series. It seemed she was beginning to get that way again.

'_Wake up quickly, Ryuji,_' Loki silently prayed. '_Kotonoha-san needs you. Please, before she does something she will regret._'

* * *

**"MIND BLOWING JOURNEY"**

* * *

"Kotonoha-san, you can't be serious!" exclaimed Loki as he chased after Kotonoha as they exited Ryuji's room. Clutched in her left hand was a familiar silver and black train pass. She didn't respond as she headed for the exit but then Warren blocked her path.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Warren questioned with his eyes on the Rider Pass in Kotonoha's grasp. "And with Ryuji's pass?"

Kotonoha's eyes were cold as she ordered, "Step out of the way, Warren-san. I have to do this." He didn't get out of the way but instead grabbed her left wrist. "Let me go!"

"I can't do that," he said, giving a firm twist that forced her to let go of the pass. He caught it before it landed on the floor. "And this isn't yours."

"I need to find the one who did this to him, and kill them," swore Kotonoha. "They need to pay."

Warren had never seen Kotonoha so angry. He'd seen her lose her mind but never angry, not like this. This wasn't any better, though.

"I can't let you do that," he frowned. "This person…this Nanimo is not someone you can just look up for a fight, and even if you do manage to find him; who's to say you'll survive?"

"I don't care! He must pay! He must suffer!" Kotonoha raised her voice.

Sand poured out of Kotonoha's sleeves and then reformed into Athena. "Lady Kotonoha, maybe you should listen to-"

"Be quiet!" she yelled. "You're MY Imagin so do as I say and let me do this! Take the pass away from Warren-san!"

Athena could sense her contractor was slowly losing it. So, she had to deny the order, "I cannot, Lady Kotonoha. You are not of sound mind right now."

Kotonoha's expression started to change as tears fell from her eyes. She covered her eyes, sobbing. "I…I just…I just want to help him…"

"I don't think getting yourself killed will help," said Warren. "You may have donned the armor once, but that doesn't make you a real Rider. You have no real fighting experience and you're still a beginner that Ryuji's training. You'll just end up getting yourself killed…" He added, "And Ryuji would suffer even more. Is that what you want?"

"No," she confessed. "I just…I need him."

"And he needs you," Warren reasoned. "You shouldn't leave him when he needs you the most. He's going to need you when he wakes up."

"He…he needs…me?" Kotonoha sniffled.

"Yes," Warren nodded. "You don't know what he was like before he came here. Being composed of negative emotions, he didn't know anything about love or other things that make life wonderful. He knew it in literal terms and memories, but he never experienced it."

"Never?" Kotonoha gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No," Warren admitted. "All he knew was how to fight and keep himself alive. All he knew was anger and pain. That is, until he met you."

Kotonoha listened intently. She had an inkling of her boyfriend's life was like before, but never in detail. Her heart cried at hearing how his life was before he came into her life.

"The change was incredible," Warren continued. "He was smiling honestly, he was laughing, he was blushing, and I thought he was sick for a while. You've said he is Kami's gift to you, right? Well, you are a goddess to him."

"Me?" Kotonoha blinked in shock.

"You," Warren nodded. "You mean everything to him. You made him complete. And if what I think happened to him is true, you are the only one who can help him. He needs you desperately."

"He…needs me," Kotonoha mumbled. Her eyes slowly became more alert and came back to life as it all began to return to her. "Ryuji-kun needs me!"

It all suddenly snapped back into reality for her. When Makoto had broken her heart and left her behind, Ryuji hadn't gone and killed him or beaten him up. He stayed with her every step of her recovery. He rescued her from her own despair and nightmares. Now it was her turn to do the same for him.

Warren began walking past Kotonoha, Ryuji's pass still firmly in hand. "Come on."

"What do you mean?"

"We're gonna go help Ryuji," said Warren simply.

"How?" asked Kotonoha.

"We're going to go into his mind."

"But, Ryuji is an Orphenoch. His mental shields are very powerful," said Loki.

"True, but I'm pretty good at bypassing shields," said Warren with a knowing grin.

They entered the room to see Ryuji still sleeping. Kotonoha was relieved to see him at peace now but she wanted him to wake up and talk to her. She needed to hear his voice again.

"But how will we enter his mind?" asked Kotonoha. She was curious to know how Warren would perform such an impossible feat. However, she'd learnt that nothing was impossible since meeting Ryuji. Since then she'd seen and experienced things that she'd only read in books.

"A teacher of mine taught me," said Warren, referring to Dr. Strange. "Now, we're going to leave our bodies."

"Leave our bodies?" she echoed.

"Astral projection, out of body experience," he clarified. His attention turned towards Loki. "Get some rope and tie him down." Kotonoha gasped as Loki nodded and went to get some rope.

"Why do we need to tie him down?" asked Kotonoha.

"Because we don't want him to accidentally hurt himself or others," explained Warren. "We may accidentally trigger something inside him and his body would act on instinct alone. His instincts would be to destroy anything in his path or anyone who'd wronged him."

Kotonoha watched as Loki returned with several lengths of rope and began tying Ryuji onto the bed, restraining him with complex knots. Though, with Ryuji's powers, it would mean little as he could freeze the ropes and break them. Which was why Loki would watch over him as Warren and Kotonoha entered his mind.

"So, are you ready?" asked Warren.

"I'm ready," she nodded. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Good," Warren nodded. He gently took Kotonoha's hands and placed them over Ryuji's body along with his own. "Just concentrate on your breathing. I'll do the rest."

Kotonoha nodded and closed her eyes. The only thing she acknowledged was the sound of her own breath. She heard Warren mumbling something, but she ignored it. All she wanted to hear was her breathing. After a moment, her entire body felt like it was heating up. It was an odd warmth, but then it suddenly vanished, making her feel like she was hollow.

"We're here," Warren spoke. "You can open your eyes."

Kotonoha nodded and opened her eyes. Once she got her eyes adjusted, she took in the sight. She quickly discovered that she wasn't in Ryuji's room anymore. Instead, she was in a single bare room that had a door planted in it. The door was black and on it was a half red and half black mask. The red half displayed "Comedy" with a smile and happy eye while the black half displayed "Tragedy" with a deep frown and sad eyes. Hanging beside the door was a key.

"What is this?" Kotonoha asked curiously as Warren stepped forward and took the key.

"I don't know," said Warren. "It would appear that to enter further into his mind we must enter through doors like these." He handed the key to Kotonoha. "Here. Use this to unlock the door."

"Me?"

"You are the one closest to him so you have the honor," Warren said. "Just, be warned that there might be some things he's kept hidden from you. His mind contains his secrets and images of his past. Are you prepared to look inside the depths of his mind?"

Kotonoha clutched the keys. "I am."

Warren sighed, "Well, I do hope you are ready to find out more about who he is and was…and who he will be."

Kotonoha put the key into the keyhole and gave it a turn. The tumblers clicked, telling her the door was unlocked. Preparing herself, she pushed the door open with Warren behind her.

"Ikuyo," she told herself before stepping forward with Warren close behind.

* * *

Kenzaki stood outside Neko's room and sighed. As soon as they returned to the GaroLiner, she'd gone into her room, bringing along her new kitten, and locked the door. Obviously she was a little upset...OK, a little upset was an understatement.

"Great, just when our relationship was getting better," muttered Kenzaki. She was mad because he never told her who Nanimo was from the start. She was also upset about what'd happened to Ryuji. Still, she was mad at him from keeping such an important thing a secret from her.

He returned to the dining car and sat down when Shiori brought him a can of beer. Despite being physically underage in this world, he was really over 20 and this was the only thing that could calm him down.

"Nanimo..." he spoke. "What are you up to?"

Suddenly, there was a newsflash on the TV about an incident happening in Sakakino City right now.

* * *

Where are we?" Kotonoha asked. She and Warren had walked through the door with the Comedy/Tragedy mask on it only to see multiple mirrors lining the walls.

"Well, unless I miss my guess," Warren frowned as they stepped through the door. "I'd say this is his memory room."

"Memory room?" Kotonoha asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, a person's mind can be interpreted in many ways," Warren explained. "A person's mental landscape varies on their personal imagination. I once met a guy whose mental landscape was an amusement park. Ryuji here seems to hold his mental spots inside specific rooms. This room holds his memories."

Kotonoha felt a little excited to hear that. She would be able to see her boyfriend's memories and maybe learn a little bit more about him.

The room was filled with many mirrors of different an intricate design. Some looked polished while others looked dull and covered in dust. However, these mirrors weren't normal mirrors. They didn't reflect an image but instead acted as windows. These were the windows into different memories that played out like movies.

"Interesting," said Warren as he saw the images playing within the mirrors. "So this is how he organises his memories."

"These are his memories?" Kotonoha questioned as she saw into one of the mirrors to see Ryuki and not Ryuji.

"Yes, and no," Warren stated.

"Pardon?" Kotonoha responded.

"Some of these aren't Ryuji's memories, but at the same time they are. Remember, Ryuji was once part of Ryuki, and as such they both share the same past. What you are seeing are Ryuki's memories, the memories that Ryuji has no choice but to keep within himself. Though these memories shape him, it also reminds him constantly that he is not a true person…"

Kotonoha could see it all. Ryuki's life from the beginning up until the present. Of course, she wanted to see Ryuji's memories. She saw one frightening one of an evil looking man with scars on his face and a wicked smile.

"Let's move forward," Warren instructed. She did as told and walked further into the room to another set of mirrors. "These mirrors show how Ifrit was born," said Warren sadly.

"Ifrit? As in Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha inquired.

"Watch," he told her.

Kotonoha did and gasped when she saw the Ifrit Orphenoch rip a man named Brother Blood apart. She couldn't tear her eyes away as a tall and dark skinned bald man torturing Ryuki before he was rescued and taken to a T-shaped Tower. She then watched the Ifrit Orphenoch kill several men savagely. She also watched as a man wearing a half orange and half black mask approached Ryuki and granted him a choice. Finally, she watched as Ryuki killed a biker using his Orphenoch powers and showing no remorse.

"This is Ifrit," Warren clarified. "His birth as Ryuki's Yin and as an entirely new entity within him."

"He's…killed before," Kotonoha realised.

"That was all he knew. He was the accumulation of all of Ryuki's anger, sorrow, pain and rage," Warren explained. "That man in the mask is known as Slade and for three weeks put Ryuji and Ryuki through the harshest training ever known."

She watched as the man forced Ryuji, then known as Ifrit, through a harsh training regiment. Bones were broken but instantly healed as a result. Ifrit leant how to control his abilities and Orphenoch form. All the while he called the man "Slade-sensei".

"Slade is one that Ryuji respects the most," said Warren. "And also…"

"Also…?" Kotonoha asked.

"Now, we shall see who he hates the most," said Warren. They walked over to another mirror and Kotonoha saw the man with scars again. "Takeshi Asakura, also known as the Sandman for he leaves bags of sand next to the bodies of his victims and also known as Zodiac Knight Scorpios. But to Ryuji, he is known as the man who killed his brother."

Kotonoha never knew Ryuji had a brother. "His brother?"

"Adopted brother but a brother nonetheless and as a result they shared a bond. Well, Tazuka and Ryuki shared a bond but it extended to Ryuji once he was born. He felt nothing but hatred for Asakura and regret for not being able to save Tazuka. These feelings were amplified within Ryuji."

"But, these are Ryuki's memories…"

"I know, but they still hurt as much. Ryuji is half of Ryuki and as I say before they share the same memories and feelings. Love, of course, was different. To Ryuji there was no love but lust."

"Lust?"

"Though Ryuki was shy, Ryuji wasn't," explained Warren. "You've noticed, right?"

"They are different in that sense," she responded.

They walked by mirrors that displayed images of girls. "Alex, Caitlin, Erika, and finally Jinx," Warren listed in order. "The girls that Ryuki gave his heart to. Jinx is the one he plans to marry."

She looked at the faces of these girls and in comparison she looked plain. They all looked exotic. Something that Ryuji would've preferred, but yet he chose her.

"But these are not Ryuji's memories," said Warren, "Just echoes of Ryuki's memories that still bind them together. These memories are a reminder of who he was and his dark past." His eyes turned to Kotonoha. "He was evil, as you can see."

Kotonoha was pale as she and Warren reached the other end of the room. She had no idea that Ryuji had seen and done such things. Then again, she had half expected it considering how violent he could be sometimes.

"Please don't judge him," Warren whispered in prayer.

"Ryuji-kun," she whimpered. "You've suffered so much. You really knew nothing but pain, anger, and fighting."

"He was kind of proud of it for a while," Warren sighed. "Considering the monsters he fought, a lot of decent people would be too."

"I…guess," Kotonoha murmured. "But…he's been alone for so long. He's had nothing but resentment and hate."

"Well, Yoshido has a way of compounding the bad things," Warren nodded. "To deal with it, Ryuki compounded it together and it got a life of its own." He added, "And that wasn't the worst of it." He showed her another set of mirrors. "Meet Ryuga," said Warren and a new mirror came into view of an evil white-haired man in his 30's, laughing as he caused pain and destruction. "Ryuji and Ryuki fought this, their future self."

Kotonoha's eyes widened in shock. This was the future form of her boyfriend? But he looked so cruel and evil. "What happened to him?"

"He lost the one he loved and in turn lost his mind," Warren sighed sadly. "This is why I couldn't let you get yourself killed. If you did then…this would've been Ryuji's future here. If you were to die, then they would be nothing holding him back. Absolutely nothing."

Kotonoha never realised how truly important she was.

"But, again, these are all the memories he shares with Ryuki," Warren repeated. "Now, we shall see his true memories."

"True memories?" Kotonoha wondered. What did Warren mean by 'true' memories?

Now these mirrors weren't as dusty as the ones before. In fact, they all looked brand new. The glass of the mirrors was polished, shining and spotless while the frames, which were designed beautifully, were made from a black material she could not identify.

What she saw in them shocked her. She was seeing the first time they'd met.

"These are his most precious memories, memories he does not share with Ryuki," Warren said, smiling. "Do you remember them?"

Kotonoha remained silent as she saw how they became friends, how he stood up for her, how he saved her life and then how he was always there for her, standing by her side when she needed him, and providing the emotional support she needed after Makoto broke up with her. She also saw their first kiss at the bonfire as they danced together. She also saw how he came back and decided to stay. This was followed by the first time he met her parents on Christmas Eve and gave her the heart-shaped ice crystal, which she saw had taken great effort to make with his powers. That had been special, but not as special as the first time they'd made love which she saw in great detail. Warren screwed his eyes shut as Kotonoha blushed as she saw herself. This was like a pornographic video though not as dirty. There was a lot of love shown that Christmas night.

She wanted to know one thing, though. "How did he become separate from Ryuki-san?"

Warren showed her a mirror that revealed the answer. "A god named Libra helped with that. He separated both Ryuji and Ryuki and broke the bond between them."

"Bond?" she asked. "What kind of bond?"

"A spiritual bond, a life bond, a bond that connected their lives," he explained. "If one of them were to die, the other would too."

She gasped. This was indeed serious.

"He spent a year training himself, to prepare himself for his return to your world. He needed to be strong enough to protect you," continued Warren. "And the rest, you know, is history."

"Sugoi…" she said in awe. She was saddened that his life had been full of pain, confusion, and not knowing who he really was, but to see his precious memories…his memories of her, it made her feel…she couldn't describe the feeling. It just felt wonderful. She now knew more about him and was glad for it. She couldn't hate him for his past. He was not like that anymore. He was Ryuji Hasuma, the boy she loved, and not the monstrous Ifrit.

Of course, Warren hadn't shown her everything. He'd only shown her what he thought she needed to see.

They came to the end of the room and saw a new door. It was black like the previous one but etched on it were claw marks. Warren took the key hanging beside it and said, "And now we reach a new room. I hope to warn you that this is going to be dangerous." Kotonoha nodded as she took the keys. "I will protect you so don't worry."

Kotonoha stepped towards the door, swallowing, and placed the key inside the hole. She gave the key a twist and there was a click from the tumblers. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

* * *

Neko got out of her room, finally, but it would appear that she'd been crying judging from the moisture around her eyes. Kenzaki turned to look at her but she ignored him as the entire crew watched the city.

"_It would appear that a strange epidemic has turned the male populace of Sakakino City into zombies_," the anchor said. "_But, these zombies do not eat human flesh, however. It would seem that these zombies are...perverts_."

Kumiko blinked. "Perverts?"

"_We do not know the cause, but whatever it is has caused these zombies to lose all their inhibitions and to act on their darkest desires_." The TV showed several grey skinned zombies flipping skirts, peeping, fondling screaming girls and displaying all sorts of perverted behaviour. The crew of the GaroLiner could only look on in confusion and disgust.

"You think it's an Imagin?" asked Okami.

"If it is, it's one sick and perverted one," stated Kenzaki. He looked at Buraki, "Almost as bad as you. Let's move."

"Right!" Raion cheered. He and the rest of the Imagin started filing out of the car.

"Um, Neko?" began Kenzaki as soon his Imagin left. "I'm sorry."

Neko turned towards him and gave him a slap with a scowl on her face. Though he couldn't feel pain, that'd hurt emotionally. "That's for keeping secrets. I've never kept a secret from you so you best do the same for me." She then grasped his face in her hands before pulling him in for a deep and passionate kiss.

When she pulled away, he asked, "What was that for?"

"I accept your apology, now let's go beat up some Ero-Zombies!" said Neko cheerfully.

"Oi, Shonen! Shoujo! You can make out later! Let's go!" shouted Okami, causing the couple to blush before they ran out of the train.

* * *

The room was full of plants and looked like a jungle. Kotonoha could only stand and admire the beauty of her boyfriend's mind. Despite the warning Warren had given her, she didn't feel threatened at all. Warren, however, was on alert. There was a reason why the door was symbolised by claw marks.

"It's so beautiful," she said as she looked around. She saw a few flowers she'd only seen in books and went to admire them more up close. "Wow, what could this room be?"

"I don't know and that worries me," said Warren. "Kotonoha, I don't think you should wander off."

"But I can't help it," she giggled. "This place is just so beautiful."

Warren could hear some rustling in the bushes and said, "What was that?"

"Huh?" Kotonoha responded.

"I heard something." His eyes narrowed. "We're not alone..." Suddenly, a large shape pounced on top of him. "ARGH!"

"Warren-san!" Kotonoha gasped as a large black panther jumped out of nowhere and pounced on Warren. Warren kicked it hard in the stomach before throwing it off.

"RUN!" he shouted, grabbing her hand and dragging her through the jungle. Warren could now sense that they were being watched from all sides and from above. Several leopards leapt from the trees and blocked his path and then a pride of lions and a tiger surrounded the two. Warren couldn't risk using his powers but he had to protect Kotonoha somehow.

"Nice kitties..." the girl said nervously.

"This must be the room that contains his instincts," Warren stated as he eyed the large jungle cats. "That explains the big cats."

Suddenly, out of the bushes leapt out the Ifrit Orphenoch. As soon as it appeared, the rest of the cats bowed their heads in respect to it. Warren kept his eyes on this dangerous beast. This was the manifestation of Ryuji's more primal instincts and may attack him. The Ifrit Orphenoch walked on all fours and towards the two intruders. It first sniffed Warren and gave a growl. Warren was tempted to growl right back. The Ifrit Orphenoch circled around and started sniffing Kotonoha who was starting to become afraid. Her fear subsided when the Orphenoch started to nuzzle her side and purr.

Kotonoha blinked and reached out with her hand. The Orphenoch started to lick her palm and she giggled at the sensation. It then started to rub its nose against her hand and she kneeled down to pet it. The Orphenoch nuzzled against her face, causing her to giggle some more as its hair tickled her face. "Aw...kawaii..."

Warren blinked and let out a sigh of relief. The Ifrit Orphenoch gave its subjects a commanding growl and then a roar which sent them all running off. "OK, this is new," muttered Warren. "Come on, Kotonoha, let's go."

Kotonoha was petting the large Orphenoch when she heard this and said, "OK." She stood up but the Ifrit gripped her sleeve in its mouth and tugged her back. She turned to stare at the beast. "You don't want me to leave?" she asked. It nodded. "You want me to stay?" It nodded again and purred as it rubbed itself against her. "But, I can't." It growled at Warren. "No, it's not his fault." The Orphenoch looked at her curiously. She knelt down and held the beast's face in her hands. "I just have to do something important. I'll be back to play with you, OK?" The Orphenoch tilted its head and then moved forward to lick her face. She giggled and then kissed its nose, making it purr. The Ifrit Orphenoch walked ahead and gestured with its head to follow them.

"It wants us to follow it," said Kotonoha.

"Leading us to the exit, I suppose," spoke Warren.

The pair followed the beast through the jungle. Some smaller cats watched as their king led these two intruders through but they dared not to do anything because their king was present. They finally reached the end of the room where another door and key awaited them. The Ifrit Orphenoch shied away from the door, which had chains framing it.

"What's wrong?" Kotonoha asked but instead of giving a response, the Orphenoch ran into the jungle. "What's wrong?"

"Something tells me it doesn't like what's behind this door," said Warren as he took the key. "You want to open this one too?"

She took the key and said, "Nothing else to do but move forward."

* * *

Atop one of the buildings, the Skunk Imagin laughed as it watched its zombie army do perverted things. Apparently, this Imagin was the cause of everything as a green gas was being released by it. The Imagin was completely black with silver gauntlets and boots. A white stripe was on its back and bushy tail. On its back it wore a gas tank and its face had a gas mask. It clapped and laughed in glee as he continued to watch the chaos being caused by his Ero-Zombies.

"Oh, this is so much fun! Go on, my army! Do all the perverted things to your heart's desire!" it laughed.

* * *

"This...this looks like..." Kotonoha began.

"A prison," Warren finished.

"But whose prison?" she asked.

"Who else?"

She got the answer straight away. This was Ryuji's prison.

"But why?" she asked.

"He was once evil," stated Warren. "This was probably where Ryuki locked him up in his subconscious."

There were chains in all directions and they were either rusted, broken, or brand new. The broken chains symbolized when Ifrit escaped or was permitted to leave. The rusted chains represented his old prison and how long he was imprisoned. The new chains represented when Ryuji had to be resealed and imprisoned.

Kotonoha picked up several chains and saw flashes of memory where Ryuji was allowed to escape or was being resealed. She not only felt the anger he had felt, but the deep pain that he'd likewise endured at being denied of a real life.

"Poor Ryuji-kun," she began to cry. "How...how could he endure all this and survive?"

"He just did," said Warren. "Come on, this room is obviously upsetting you." Kotonoha nodded and dropped the chains before following Warren to the end of the room where the next door was waiting. Etched on it was a cloud, which could mean anything. This time Kotonoha picked up the key herself. She wanted to help Ryuji and to do that she needed to go through each of the rooms. She had to be strong for him. She put the key into the hole and gave it a twist, unlocking it, before pushing the door open into whatever was inside the next room.

* * *

Okami, Buraki and Raion were beating up the zombies. They weren't undead but under the control of the strange green gas that was in the air. Luckily, the Imagin were immune. Garoh Predator Form and Ryukendo showed up as well to drive the zombies back. At the same time, they'd arrived to rescue a quartet of girls who'd had their clothes ripped apart and were barely clad as a result.

"Are you supposed to be heroes, because you're late!" said Otome angrily. Her friends agreed as well. Otome only had half her skirt remaining, exposing a portion of her pink panties, her shirt ripped open with the sleeves torn off and was missing her bra. Behind her were Natsumi, Minami and Kumi. Like Otome, Minami was missing her bra but her skirt was gone and she had her shirt ripped open. Kumi's skirt and shirt was gone, revealing her in a pink camisole. Natsumi still had her skirt but her shirt was missing, revealing her bra.

"Waah! Hot naked girls!" shouted Buraki as he leapt towards the four school girls who screamed at the appearance of the Imagin. Both Garoh and Ryukendo stomped him to the ground.

"Down, boy," growled Ryukendo.

"**I apologize for his behaviour**," said Garoh apologetically. "**But for now, we must bring you to safety.**"

"Ojou-sama!" Gekiryuken alerted.

"Nani, Geki-chan?" she responded.

"Look up there! I see the culprit!" he answered and Ryukendo looked up on the roof of a tall building across from them and saw the Skunk Imagin.

"An Imagin," she growled, "And a perverted one at that." She turned to look at Garoh, "Garoh-chan, you and Okami-tachi take care of the zombies! I'll handle the culprit!" She then ran off.

"**Matte, Ryukendo!**" he shouted.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Garoh heard screaming and turned towards the direction to see Makoto, Sekai, Nanami, Hikari and Taisuke being chased by zombies. The girls were missing portions of their school uniforms too.

"Why did I agree to go shopping with you!" shouted Makoto.

"I thought it was a good idea at the time!" shouted Taisuke. He turned to look at Hikari who was struggling to keep her shirt close.

"Eyes front, pervert!" Sekai shouted. She was wearing her shirt open and had her bra and panties revealed. Makoto started gawking at her. "You too!"

"This day just keep getting better and better," grumbled Okami as he pounded a zombie to the ground.

"**Foul creatures! Your behaviour is dishonourable! My fists will crush you!" **shouted Garoh as he slammed his fists and feet into the zombies chasing the students.

* * *

Warren and Kotonoha entered the new room, but had only see darkness so far. "You know, Ryuji and I aren't all that different," said Warren.

"What do you mean Warren-san? You and Ryuji-kun don't seem anything alike," said Kotonoha.

"Nowadays he and I aren't all too alike. But, back when I was a kid, all I knew was fighting and death. My brain is even kind of organized like his. Except mine, contains three doors that lead into different paths."

Kotonoha was learning a lot of new things about her otherworldly friends. Suddenly, she could hear a loud scream and she clutched onto Warren in fright. "What...what is that?" she questioned.

Warren narrowed his eyes. "Something bad if what I'm feeling is any indication. Come on, let's move forward."

Warren and Kotonoha were met with even more screams as they entered deeper into the room. The door shut behind them.

Kotonoha steeled herself and prepared herself for whatever they may face. Soon, the entire room lit up with an unearthly red glow and then she gasped at what she saw. Warren wanted to puke and Kotonoha began to scream. She saw herself lying on the ground, naked, and in a pool of her own blood. The face held a blank look of horror which frightened Kotonoha.

Her voice seemed to echo in the room. Actually, several versions of her screamed at the same time. In front of them, nightmares were at work. Kotonoha saw herself being murdered by a demonic version of the Ifrit Orphenoch, random Imagin, and even by some people wearing armors based off animals. Even worse, she was being raped by Taisuke and Makoto.

"Oh Kami!" Kotonoha cried. "What is this?"

"I should've realised it sooner," Warren gritted his teeth. "This is where Ryuji keeps his dreams but right now it's become a room full of nightmares. What you're seeing is his worst nightmare…this is how they broke him," Warren gagged. "No way he'd keep from breaking after something like this!"

Kotonoha shivered. Seeing all this was really getting to her. She wished Ryuji would come save her from this. She then heard whispers, dark and evil whispers. Warren could hear them too.

"_You don't deserve love."_

"_You're not even human."_

"_You're a monster."_

"_You don't belong here."_

'_You're a killer."_

"_You don't deserve love."_

"_You're a beast."_

"_You only live to kill."_

"_You're a monster."_

"_You're a beast."_

"_You're a killer."_

"Make it stop...please..." Kotonoha whimpered. **"**Make it stop!" Kotonoha cried. At first Warren thought she couldn't take the images and whispers, but that was shot down when he heard her speak again. "Stop hurting him! Stop it!"

She ran forward to where the Orpehnoch was murdering her over and over again. Grabbing the Orphenoch by the shoulder, she shoved the beast to the side. Looking to her bloody corpse, she watched it vanish.

"_You shouldn't have done that_," the Orphenoch stood up as its image seemed to melt away. Where the Orphenoch stood, the Nightmare Imagin had risen.

One by one, all the people torturing Kotonoha's image vanished only to be replaced by more Nightmare Imagin. The illusions of Kotonoha also vanished at the appearance of these Imagin.

"Okay," Warren frowned as he readied for a fight. "I think we now know who did this to Ryuji." He knew there had to be more. "OK, come on out, wherever you are, you bastards!"

All of a sudden, the shadows in the corners started to spread and crawling out from them were dark figures. They were clones of the Nightmare Imagin, remaining inside Ryuji to further torment him. Warren told Kotonoha, "Stay close to me," but then he heard the sound of metal sliding out from a sheath and looked over his shoulder to see Kotonoha holding her dozuki and wearing an angry expression on her face. Of course, this was righteous fury.

"GET OUT OF RYUJI-KUN!" she roared as she ran past Warren and sliced a startled Nightmare Imagin in half. The Imagin started to pounce on her but in her rage she was deadly precise with the weapon and tore through them with ease. Warren stood there, gawking. This was just like what happened with Raven whenever she got pissed.

Kotonoha panted after finishing off the last of the Nightmare Imagin before sliding her dozuki into a special compartment hidden under her school blazer. She turned to look at Warren and explained, "Ryuji-kun always told me to have a weapon on me, just incase."

"I can imagine," he said. '_Mental note: don't make this girl mad._'

Soon, a bright light engulfed the entire room, erasing the remains of the Nightmare Imagin and the faux Kotonoha corpse. When the light subsided, the room was now white and Kotonoha gasped at what she saw. On the walls were beautiful portraits. "Wow..."

"Hm, I guess when you killed those Imagin, you freed this room," said Warren. "Now, these are his dreams and fantasies. Fitting, don't you think?" Kotonoha went to look at the portraits. The ones of her in a wedding dress made her smile and then there was a few with them married and having children, a boy and a girl that looked just like them. A few made her blush since they depicted his sexual fantasies, but what she loved about these portraits was how much she was depicted in them. "And they involve you. I guess he does dream of you." His eyes went towards a few portraits covered in thick dust. Obviously, he hadn't dreamt of those lately.

* * *

"HENTAI IMAGIN!" shouted Ryukendo as she landed on the roof, earning the Skunk Imagin's attention.

"Oh, Ryukendo," the Imagin snickered. "I've been expecting you."

"I'm gonna stop you!" shouted Ryukendo and then she charged at him.

"EAT MY GAS!" the Skunk Imagin shouted as he turned around, reared up its ass, raised up its tail and farted at Ryukendo. Despite the filter in her helmet, the pungent odor still got through and she coughed as her mouth watered, the cloud of horrid gas was also blinding her as it fogged up her visor. Taking this as its chance, the Skunk Imagin tackled into Ryukendo and sent her falling off the edge. She screamed as she started to fall to the ground.

"**RYUKENDO!**" shouted Garoh in horror as he watched her fall. He became relieved when he saw her catch hold of a flagpole, stopping her from turning into street pizza. Now 30 feet off the ground, she let go of the flagpole and landed on the ground, groaning.

"Ojou-sama, are you alright?" asked Gekiryuken in concern.

"This...stinks..." said Ryukendo. She then saw the zombies coming for her. Gritting her teeth, she wanted to take her frustration out on these men, and with a roar charged right back at them to kick their butts.

* * *

Both Warren and Kotonoha reached the door at the opposite end of the Dream Room. Finding the exit, they both noted that this door was a healthy red with a heart on the front. A key was hanging to the side. Kotonoha was already grabbing it, but as she touched the wood of the door, she felt a pulse go through her.

"Oh!" Kotonoha gasped.

"Are you okay?" Warren asked in concern.

"Yes," Kotonoha nodded. "It didn't hurt."

To be honest, Kotonoha felt like she was about to break out in a blush. The feeling that touching the door had done for her reminded her of when Ryuji would kiss her neck and lick the sensitive skin. A shiver ran down her spine as the feeling lingered for a moment. Taking the key, she unlocked the door with a soft turn of the tumblers.

"Let's go," Kotonoha nodded as she opened the door.

Stepping inside, Kotonoha didn't have any time to take in the scenery. She inhaled deeply in a surprised gasp before dropping to her knees. She was gasping deeply as a thin sheen of sweat began to appear on her skin. Her heart felt like it was going to burst…but not in the bad way.

"Kotonoha!" Warren cried, kneeling next to his friend. "Are you okay?"

"It…it…" she whimpered. Her body began to tremble and shiver as her face turned red. "It feels GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

Kotonoha moaned loudly before she collapsed onto the ground. She was gasping loudly and blushing furiously. Warren himself blushed slightly as he attempted to help Kotonoha back to her feet. He knew that Kotonoha had just climaxed, having done the same to Raven and Teresa several times since they met. He recognized the signs.

It wasn't the physical sensations that had driven her to her orgasm though. For Kotonoha, she had just felt every time Ryuji had touched her, caressed her, kissed her, and…otherwise. She could feel it all at once along with the emotional upswing that went with it. If that wasn't heaven, Kotonoha wasn't sure what was.

"Are you okay?" Warren blinked embarrassedly.

"Y...yes," Kotonoha mumbled as she got back up shakily to her feet. "Just a little…overwhelmed."

"I can figure," Warren sighed. He looked to the room and chuckled. "If the décor is any indication…this is Ryuji's heart."

"Ah!" Kotonoha gasped as she looked to see the decorations.

The room was filled with crystal, giving it a feeling of fragility. She could see statues of her made in crystal. They depicted her in maidenly and demure poses wrapped in fabric. She definitely looked like a goddess in those poses. Looking ahead, there were even acrylic paintings of herself and Ryuji in some of their most memorable or intimate moments; Christmas, the dance around the bonfire during the school festival, the hot springs, their first real date as a couple, their reunion, and when they exchanged their Christmas gifts.

"Oh, Ryuji-kun," she swooned. He really loved her this much? She made a solemn vow at that point to never let him go for anything.

"My guess is that feeling you experienced was the unfiltered feelings in Ryuji's heart for you," Warren grinned. "It explains why I felt like someone was annoyed with me."

"Ryuji-kun," she sighed happily. Blowing a kiss into the air, she whispered, "Aishiteru."

The room seemed to grow a little warmer as some red lights lit up slightly. Kotonoha smiled as it felt like Ryuji was hugging her from behind.

"You never cease to amaze me," Warren smiled. "Still, we have to keep going."

"Hai!" Kotonoha nodded.

The pair travelled through the crystal halls and past the paintings. Turning a corner, they found themselves looking at a room that looked like it was from a boxer's gym. Wood was covering the walls, but bits of crystal could be seen from between the boards. In the middle of the area were several punching bags with pictures on them. Eyeing them she saw that some pictures were of Taisuke, Makoto, and one was even Kenzaki, but it looked crumpled and dusty. Others were of people she didn't know, but recognized one of them as Asakura.

"What are these?" Kotonoha asked curiously.

"By my guess…people he doesn't like," Warren answered. "Makoto and Taisuke sure seem to make regular appearances. These photos look brand new. Kenzaki's is old, which means he's letting go.

"So Ryuji-kun still won't forgive them," Kotonoha sighed. "I don't know if I should feel happy or disappointed with that."

"Hey, if someone hurt Raven and Teresa like they did you, they'd have to save my life a hundred times before I forgave them," Warren shrugged. "Ryuji doesn't want to kill them though. Otherwise this part would be filled with guns or something."

Kotonoha beamed at that. Ryuji was losing his anger. He didn't like the people in the pictures, but she felt comforted that the room of anger was so small. His room of love was so much bigger. It meant Ryuji was being filled with many positive emotions.

"We'd better get a move on," Warren spoke up. "I have a feeling we're getting closer."

"Good," Kotonoha nodded. "Ryuji-kun has suffered enough. He was there when I needed someone. Now I'm going to do the same for him."

* * *

"BREASTS! TITTIES! THIGHS!" shouted Taisuke, naked as a newborn, as he chased after the girls with a perverted smile on his face. He was running with the crowd of perverted zombies and judging by his appearance had been affected.

Makoto hadn't been affected for some reason but it was inevitable. He was starting to show signs of the ero-zombie gas affecting him so Ryukendo knocked him out with a karate chop to the back of the neck before placing him someplace safe. Buraki, Okami and Buraki were still holding off the horde of ero-zombies.

Ryukendo, annoyed, smashed her fist into Taisuke's face, knocking him out, before she moved on to defeat the rest of the perverted zombies. It would seem that she was still pissed at being defeated by the Imagin. They couldn't get to it yet since it was in hiding now but it was only a matter of time before it showed its ugly face again.

* * *

"Is this the last door?" Kotonoha asked as she looked at the blank door with the the 6 number combination lock on it.

"I'm not sure, but I can sense something behind it. I think this is his Soul Room," Warren explained.

"Soul Room?" she asked. "As in..."

"The room where his soul resides," said Warren, "Which would explain the padded lock and the fact it needs a combination."

Kotonoha held the lock in her hands. It had to be an important number to be made as a combination. She decided to try her luck and started to turn the dials around. Warren watched as she put in the six numbers that the lock needed before it unlocked.

CLICK

"Done," she said.

Warren blinked, "How did you...what was that combination?"

"The day Ryuji-kun and I had our first kiss," she blushed. "That would be his most precious date, right?"

"Well, I guess if you think about it..." he rubbed the back of his head. The door creaked open when Kotonoha removed the padded lock.

"Here we go," she said, pushing the door open and she nearly fell off the edge of the doorframe. Luckily, Warren grabbed her arm. "What is this?"

"A void," frowned Warren.

Kotonoha looked downward and gulped. Just below them was a swirling vortex. She looked ahead and could see a figure, tied up and dangling by chains. She easily recognised the figure. "Ryuji-kun!"

"Damn, how are we going to get across?" cursed Warren. This was the final obstacle. They had to get across and free Ryuji's soul.

Kotonoha looked across from them and could see stepping stones floating between them and Ryuji's soul. The problem was that the stones would move from side to side. Also, they weren't stones, but ice blocks. One false move and you could slip off and fall into the void.

"We need to jump onto those blocks it seems," Warren gritted his teeth. He reached down and then lifted Kotonoha up, bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hold on tight, Kotonoha. This is going to be a bumpy ride."

Kotonoha nodded, "Anything for Ryuji-kun!"

"Let's go!" shouted Warren as he jumped from the door and then landed on one of the ice blocks. He nearly lost his balanced but managed to right himself before they fell into the void, which looked like it would swallow them whole and leave nothing.

"6 more left," Kotonoha pointed.

'_The things I do for my friends_,' thought Warren as he bent his knees and watched the blocks move from side to side. He had to time this just right or else it was a one-way trip to nothingness. Of course, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something inside that void.

* * *

"Kuso, it would be so easy if we could kill them!" growled Okami.

"But we can't do that," said Byakko.

"Well, at least I can look at the girls," ogled Buraki, eyes on the barely clad girls. He got knocked to the ground by Byakko and Okami.

"Baka," the two Imagin said in unison.

Garoh, having fused with Raion, was in Rampage Form and knocking out ero-zombies left and right. Unfortunately, they kept coming back up. Ryukendo, unable to use her sword on them, had Gekiryuken in his pendant form attached to her hip. He was giving her instructions as she was forced to only use her fists and feet.

"**This is so not gnarly**," said Garoh.

"Well, we can't kill them and that Ero-Imagin is using these zombies as a shield. We can't get to him," said Ryukendo.

The Skunk Imagin watched as its zombie minions did their job. Now, his Ero-Zombie Gas has spread throughout the city. The green cloud had already taken control of the male population of the city and soon it would be brought into chaos. How fun!

"At least these zombies haven't raped anyone," said Gekiryuken.

"I don't think they can if they wanted to," said Ryukendo, kicking one zombie between the legs. "But, it would only be a matter of time so we better take these guys down and go after the ringleader."

* * *

Warren was hopping, carefully, from one block to another. The closer they got to the bound form of Ryuji's soul, the faster the blocks would move from side to side.

"Reminds me of those videogames Beast Boy plays," Warren muttered, still carrying Kotonoha. He was trying to maintain balance. He was lucky that the soles of his boots had a firm grip on the slippery surface of the block he was standing on.

"There's two more left," she informed. "Hayaku, Warren-san!" Warren could understand Kotonoha's distress. She wanted to save Ryuji.

"OK! Hold on tight!" he took a leap but the block he was aiming for suddenly vanished. "HUH!" They were headed for the void. Kotonoha let out a scream.

But, they didn't fall into the void as a bridge of ice suddenly formed and broke their fall. Warren sat up, still cradling Kotonoha, as he wondered what had happened. Kotonoha already had a good idea.

"Ryuji-kun...saved us," she reasoned.

'_Makes sense, I guess_,' Warren thought. He looked ahead to see Ryuji's soul with a blue aura around him.

Kotonoha got out of Warren's arms and started to run to Ryuji's soul. Warren went after her. They were close now, real close.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried as she looked up to see the bound form of Ryuji's soul, wrapped in chains like a cocoon and dangling by one long length of chain. She called again, "Ryuji-kun!" and yet again there was no response. She asked Warren, "Why won't he answer?"

"I don't know," Warren shook his head. "Maybe you need to get closer." He then asked, bluntly, "How much do you weigh?"

SLAP!

"OK...I don't think I deserved that," muttered Warren, rubbing his cheek. "I asked because I'm going to throw you up there."

Kotonoha responded without hesitation. "OK." Warren held her from behind at her waist as she readied herself.

"When you're close, grab onto him," Warren instructed. She nodded. He then tossed her upwards. She let out a cry before reaching towards Ryuji. Her fingers curled around the chains binding him but to reach eye-level, she had to climb up some more. When she reached her destination, she took a look into Ryuji's soul's eyes.

"Ryuji-kun!" she shouted. "Ryuji-kun, wake up! Please!"

The soul's eyes looked dead and lifeless. At the sight of this, the girl started tearing up. "Please, look at me." The tears started to fall and the soul's eyes started to shine, seeing the tears being shed for him.

"Koto...chan...?" the soul spoke and Kotonoha looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

She couldn't contain herself and then wrapped her arms around her neck. They rocked from side to side as she cried out in glee. "Ryuji-kun! You're awake!"

Ryuji's soul shook his head, "Koto-chan, please, leave me." She was shocked by his words. "I don't belong out there. I'm a monster."

"No you're not!" she objected.

"But you've passed through those others rooms, and you've even seen my memories," he retorted. "I was evil, can't you see, and I'm still evil. I will always be evil."

"You're NOT evil," she said sternly. "You have a kind heart. You're not a monster. Only the circumstances weren't fair to you. All I see is a sweet and gentle soul that's a little rough around the edges. I see Ryuji Hasuma, the boy I fell in love with and the one who stole my heart."

"Koto-chan..."

"If you're not coming with me, then I'll stay here with you." His eyes widened.

"You can't!" he protested.

"I will. I can't live without you."

He looked solemn. "You're serious..."

"As serious as I've ever been..." The chains started to crack as she closed her eyes. "I love you, Ryuji-kun."

Warren could feel the bridge shake and turned to look behind him. The bridge was starting to collapse! "Um, can you wrap this up faster?"

"Come with me, or I stay," she threatened. "Your choice."

Ryuji's soul sighed. "Koto-chan, you do not play fair..."

She beamed as the chains completely shattered. Ryuji's soul held her around the waist and they both dropped onto the bridge.

"Now, we can get out of here," said Kotonoha.

"But there's no door," said Warren as he looked around.

Suddenly, a door materialised in front of them.

"Now there is," said Ryuji's soul. He opened it for them. "Now go."

Warren went in than Kotonoha. Kotonoha looked to him and asked, "What about you?"

"I'm the soul, this is where I belong, but I'm free now," he said. He then kissed her deeply before pushing her out the door. "I'll see you out there!"

Kotonoha let out a scream as she fell into the darkness.

* * *

Back in the real world, Kotonoha let out a cry of fright and then realised that she was back in Ryuji's room. Warren was too and he was currently massaging his forehead.

"Damn, these trips always give me headache," he groaned. Kotonoha looked towards Ryuji's sleeping form and saw that there was no change. Did they fail?

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" she asked.

"It takes time for the body to recover after the mind does," Warren said. Loki was starting to untie Ryuji as they spoke.

Kotonoha leaned in closer to look at Ryuji's face. Suddenly, his arm shot up and grabbed her arm. She let out a gasp of shock as he pulled her onto the bed and laid her down on it with him on top. She looked into his blue eyes as he grinned.

"Gotcha, Koto-chan," he said teasingly before kissing her passionately. Her arms went around his back and pulled him to her, pressing their bodies together as they enjoyed the sensation of their lips being pressed together. Ryuji cracked an eye open, seeing as they had an audience, and broke the kiss much to Kotonoha's displeasure. She let out a whine.

"Do you mind?" Ryuji said, eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face. "Some privacy?"

Athena came into the room to see Ryuji on top of Kotonoha. She said, "Oh, you're back, good."

"What's up?" asked Warren.

"I think it's better if you all see it for yourself. It's on the television right now," said Athena.

"Do we have to?" complained Ryuji.

"YES!" Athena exclaimed.

"Fine." Ryuji helped Kotonoha off the bed but then gave her shapely butt a pinch. She gasped and blushed as he grinned. She returned the grin with a warm smile. He was back to his old self.

* * *

Things were not going so well for the two costumed heroes and three Imagin at the moment. The Skunk Imagin was pouring gas all over the battlefield, incapacitating the tree Imagin. Thankfully, the ero-gas part of the substance only seemed to work on humans. However, it stank like the pits of hell and all three of Garoh's Imagin partners were hacking and coughing, struggling to breathe.

Sadly, this wasn't the case for the zombies. If anything, they got more desperate to feel up girls. A veritable tide of them was running for Ryukendo and she was pounding away at them. A clever tactic she was using was piling up the unconscious males to make a wall to shield herself from them.

Garoh wasn't in much better shape. The smell was awful and the Skunk Imagin kept blasting him in the face. Despite the filter, the smell still got to him. Each breath was like a punch in the face. The kicks to the head and gut sure weren't helping either.

"Ha!" the Skunk Imagin laughed. "This is too easy! Who needs to use tactics when all you need is a little chemical warfare!"

The Skunk Imagin stopped its cheers when it felt a tap on its shoulder and turned to receive a face-full of fist that sent it skidding across the ground. The lenses of its gas mask were broken by the hit and it snarled as it looked at who'd attacked it.

"You know, I hate perverts like you the most," Ifrit said scornfully as he flicked his wrist. He already had his twin Ifrit Dao in hand. The Imagin growled as it got back to its feet. "Let me tell you from the start; I am really pissed off!"

"I don't care how many Riders show up!" it roared. "You're all dead!" It started to produce more of its gas but Ifrit decided to counter this attack with his own. A blue aura started to form around his body and then intensify, causing the temperature to slowly drop. It soon dropped to freezing temperature and as a result the gas started to change, first into a liquid that rained down around them and finally the droplets turned into a solid. This also caused the Skunk Imagin to unable to release its gas.

"Science 101, when gas is cooled, it first becomes a liquid and then a solid," informed Ifrit. His eyes went towards all the zombies. "And you all should CHILL OUT!" He unleashed a wave of frost energy, trapping every single one of them in ice. Resting one sword on his shoulder while pointing at the Imagin with the other, he said, "There, now it's just you and me."

With a roar filled with rage, the Skunk Imagin lunged at Ifrit. Ifrit sidestepped the attack by slipping to the side before kicking the Imagin in the rear.

"Ero-teme, you're going to help me relieve some stress!" announced Ifrit.

The Imagin picked itself up and started to attack furiously, but never got a chance to land a hit as Ifrit started to violently slash it repeatedly with his twin swords. He continued the assault without mercy, ripping sparks off the Imagin's body. With a hard kick, he sent the Imagin flying and it smashed against the hood of a car.

"Now, to show you something special," said Ifrit as he banished his weapons and produced a ticket depicting Loki. "Loki, get out here!" Sand poured out from Ifrit's body and reformed behind him into Loki.

"Right here!" shouted Loki.

"Assume the position!" ordered Ifrit. Loki did as told and walked around so that he was standing in front of his contractor with his back facing him.

The Skunk Imagin rolled itself off the hood of the car, in pain, and got on its hands and knees, groaning and panting. It glared up at Ifrit. The impact had dented his gas tank and jammed the gas output, not that it would matter since the temperature had made its gas solid.

Ifrit swiped the ticket across his belt buckle, causing it to vanish as the belt announced, "**LOKI FORM!**"

Loki turned into red energy that was absorbed into Ifrit's chest. The result was the bodysuit turning black with his armor changing red. The now red visor also gained a pair of round blue eyepieces on it as a black cape hung from his back. Though the basic design of the armor hadn't changed much aside from color and the cape, Ifrit now was stronger due to him and his Imagin working together.

"**Let me tell you from the start; there is no way you can defeat us!**" said Ifrit in his and Loki's voices.

"Bastard!" the Skunk Imagin spat.

"**IKUZO!**" shouted Ifrit. His hands were enveloped in hot red flames and then he put them together. Flames swirled above his hands and then solidified, forming into a 5 foot long dozuki. The red saw blade was decorated with black tribal markings that resembled flame patterns. This was the Loki Slicer

Walking towards the Imagin, the monster attacked the newly transformed Ifrit, unaware of the danger. It got knocked backwards by a fist and then sent to the ground by a powerful backhand. Ifrit then kicked it in the face, sending it onto its back. He reached down, picked the Imagin up by its throat and tossed it skyward. The Imagin screamed as it went flying into the air and then came plummeting down to make a crater on impact.

Shakily, the Imagin rose back to its feet, angrily growling at Ifrit.

The Skunk Imagin, in its rage, began to attack Ifrit blindly. The Rider dodged all his opponents attack easily and then started his own attack, hacking at the Imagin repeatedly with his huge saw. One strong kick sent the Imagin reeling.

Ifrit tapped the switch with his thumb, sword hefted on his shoulder. "**Yare-yare,**" he said in a bored tone,"**Looks like its time to finish this.**" He pressed his thumb onto the switch.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

A ring of fire surrounded the Imagin. Without warning, Ifrit slashed it at the waist with his giant dozuki, which was enveloped in flames, before he finished it off by slashing it straight down the middle. The fire spread all over the Imagin's body and then it exploded in a magnificent blaze as Ifrit turned with his back facing it, his cape flowing dramatically as he rested his weapon on his shoulder.

"**Yatta**," said Ifrit triumphantly.

* * *

"Hey, check this out!" shouted Taisuke as he showed both Sekai and Makoto a newspaper while they were in class. It was about the ero-zombie attack, the Riders and their Imagin partners. On the front page was a picture of Ifrit in his Loki Form. "I can't believe we were right there when it happened!"

"I can't believe it happened at all," muttered Sekai. "Oh, Hasuma-san," Sekai said as she saw Neko come into class. Neko waved at them and smiled. She walked up to her four classmates and glanced at the newspaper.

"So, I heard your brother's back," said Makoto.

"Yes, he is, and he's doing much better," Neko answered.

"What happened to him?" asked Sekai. "Where did he disappear to?"

Neko frowned. "I'm sorry, but its not my story to tell."

"Well, I'm just glad he's back. Kotonoha was really depressed," said Sekai.

Neko nodded in agreement, knowing fully well what would've happened if Ryuji had gone missing for any longer.

* * *

In their classroom, Kotonoha was sitting with Ryuji, laughing gleefully with a warm smile after he told her a funny story. Kenzaki watched from his seat, smiling as well. He was glad that his fellow Rider had recovered. Still there was the matter of Nanimo. What was he planning to do actually?

* * *

In the void of Ryuji's mind was an item of great power. Despite the overwhelming darkness it shone. There, in the centre, surrounded by light, was a legendary weapon capable of salvation in the right hands or destruction in the wrong hands.

The Keyblade.


	6. St Valentine's Day

There was a boat in the middle of the ocean. The setting sun gave the sky a beautiful orange glow that cast itself over the vessel. The boat was really the Katsura family yacht and lying on the deck were two teenagers, both with long black hair, but with opposite genders.

"This…feels nice," said Ryuji from where he lay on his side, facing Kotonoha who lay on her side too, facing him. "Being here with you, alone, leaving everything behind." He ran his fingers over her cheek. These fingers were harsh on his enemies but they caressed her cheek gently.

Kotonoha held his hand against her face for a little longer as she gazed into his blue eyes. They stared coldly at others but she was the only one whom saw the warmth in them. She moved in a little closer as he moved his hand down to her waist, pulling the girl close against his body. They soon embraced each other.

"I agree," she said as they cuddled. "I've always dreamt of drifting aimlessly into sea with a boy on a boat."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, and I'm glad that boy is you, Ryuji-kun," she smiled softly. "You've made me very happy."

"You too," he replied. "I never knew real happiness until I met you."

"You're exaggerating."

"I'm not." He added, "I was never really happy before. Remember, I'm just-"

"Don't say it."

"But-"

"You're not half a person. You're not a monster. You're human. Don't ever doubt that." She was almost pleading.

"Gomen," he apologized. He held her close to him and kissed her deeply. "Ore no Tenshi."

* * *

"**SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY!"**

* * *

Ryuji couldn't believe it. In all his time here he'd fantasized Kotonoha getting dressed in that, but he thought he would never see her in it at all. Well, it would appear that his dream had come true.

Kotonoha had called him over to meet with her at the Radish Restaurant for a surprise and being the good boyfriend that he was, he really couldn't refuse his sweet girlfriend. He owed her that much after she'd risked herself to save him. Of course, he couldn't refuse her anyway. He loved her so much and vowed to make her happy anyway he could.

Valentine's Day was only days away and while most guys would wait for girls to give them something and do nothing until White Day, Ryuji already made plans for himself and Kotonoha; a nice and romantic date on Valentine's Day with just the two of them. Kenzaki, Neko and Warren could take care of the Imagin for all he cared. The last Imagin had gotten him a huge reward.

Now, Ryuji was standing in the doorway, gawking, as Kotonoha came to greet him. Now, Ryuji always thought Kotonoha was sexy but right now she was downright irresistible. To put it simply, she was wearing the skimpy Radish waitress uniform. It was made up of white top that could pass off as a bikini or bra with blue straps, blue arm sleeves, a white mini skirt that came down to mid-thigh with slits on the sides and cute little sandals. The entire uniform revealed her beautiful long legs and sexy flat stomach. The top also barely contained her ample bosom.

"Ko-Ko-Ko-Koto-chan," he stuttered, his face going red as his blue eyes just stared at her. She was holding the round tray to her chest, blushing while looking down at her feet.

"Surprise, Ryuji-kun," she smiled shyly, blushing as well. "I asked Saionji-san if I could work here."

Ryuji's eyes went towards Sekai who was grinning and winking. He also eyed all the males in the restaurant whose eyes were on Kotonoha. He glared at them coldly, causing the temperature to go down and they all averted their eyes in fear. Kotonoha shivered, knowing that her boyfriend was using his power.

"Oh, you're cold," he said. He removed his leather bomber jacket, leaving him in a black t-shirt and jeans, and draped it over her shoulders. "Here."

Kotonoha looked up at him and beamed before saying, "Welcome to Radish, sir. Let me take you to your seat." She led him to an empty table, swaying her hips. This didn't go unnoticed by the other male patrons but they all froze when Ryuji glared at them. Kotonoha was his and for his eyes only. He sat down and she handed him a menu. "I'll be back soon to take your order," she said before skipping off to the kitchen to pick up another order.

"Hey, Hasuma," said Sekai as she slipped into the seat across from Ryuji. "Like the surprise?"

"I'm surprised, alright," Ryuji retorted, eyes glaring straight at the girl. "I'm just not amused. You turned Koto-chan into eye candy for a bunch of hormonal boys."

"Hey, she asked me to."

"You could've declined."

"She wanted to surprise you."

"Well, she did that very well."

Sekai grinned teasingly, "You just want her all to yourself."

Ryuji remarked, "Can you blame me?"

When Kotonoha came out with an order, he looked to see her smiling. His expression softened at seeing this but then hardened when he saw one of the boys she was serving flirting with her. "Teme…" he growled, getting ready to beat that guy up but controlled herself. Unless the guy actually did something that offended Kotonoha, then he would act. He didn't want to come off as an overly-jealous and possessive boyfriend, which he was, but by attacking a person for the smallest reason would hurt him more since Kotonoha would be upset with him.

"Well, she said she wanted to try it out," said Sekai. "And well since she showed up here today, business has been good."

"They all just want to ogle her," he growled.

"OH, KATSURA-SAN!" Ryuji heard and he groaned.

"Damn it," Ryuji cursed as he looked up to see Taisuke. He was clenching his fists and digging his fingers into the palm, nearly drawing blood.

"OK, I know you don't like Sawanaga…" Sekai began.

"I like him less than I like you," Ryuji stated, "And I like Itou less than I like him." When Taisuke saw Ryuji at one of the tables, he froze, before he ran out the door. Ryuji smirked. "Heh, at least he knows better."

Sekai sighed. This guy sure knew how to hold a grudge. Whatever Kotonoha saw in Ryuji, it was probably a side he didn't show quite often. He did have a bad reputation. He also scared a lot of students and teachers as well, just by glaring at them. Of course, she had to admit that his glare was effective.

"I know you don't like me and Makoto, and we deserve it," said Sekai.

"I've already forgiven you," said Ryuji. Sekai blinked, "Just you. Koto-chan made me, but it will take a lot of convincing until I forgive that boyfriend of yours."

"Right," Sekai nodded. She was just glad he'd forgiven her.

"Sorry," apologized Kotonoha as she came over. "Ryuji-kun, would you like to order something?"

Sekai stood up and said, "I've got work to do. Have fun."

Ryuji looked at the menu, a few thoughts forming in his mind. "OK, I'd like a club sandwich, a glass of ice tea…" his eyes went over Kotonoha and looked her up and down. "And you in nothing but covered in whipped cream."

That declaration made Kotonoha blush and it deepened when she saw the hungry look in his eyes. She shuddered pleasantly under his gaze, which promised wonderful things being done to her body. He licked his lips for added effect as Kotonoha got her heart rate and breathing under control.

"Alright, sir," she said, taking note of his order. "But the last thing isn't on the menu."

"I'm sure you can make a home delivery," he said suggestively.

'_Oh, Ryuji-kun_,' Kotonoha sighed. '_You're such a tease._'

Kotonoha turned as the bell rang, signaling the arrival of more customers. "Welcome to the Radish!" said Sekai happily as she went to greet the new customers.

"Hey, Sekai," greeted the customer.

"Oh! Warren-san!" said Sekai. Standing at the door was Warren, as well as Raven, Teresa. Grasping Raven's hand was Alex, with Tessa sound asleep in her dad's arms.

"Is there an empty table for us?" asked Warren. Tessa yawned cutely and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Sekai and smiled.

"You look pretty," she said. Sekai giggled.

"Come on in," said Sekai as she led the family inside. Warren sent a telepathic message to both Teresa and Raven who blushed. "We got an empty spot."

Ryuji looked over his seat to look at the family. Family…what a wonderful word. He looked towards Kotonoha and briefly imagined what it would be like to raise a family with her. Kotonoha Hasuma. It had a nice ring to it.

* * *

Kokoro was spending her day just milling around her house. She was feeling bored and none of her friends felt like playing. Valentine's Day was coming up and they were busy picking out boys they wanted to give chocolates to. Of course, Kokoro had wanted to join in, but there was only one boy she really wanted to give chocolate to.

Ryuji-niichan.

He was really a strange guy, but was a lot of fun. Way more fun than that Makoto guy who made Kotonoha cry so much. Ryuji acted mean a lot of the time, but only to people who were mean to him or did something to hurt him, Kotonoha, or Kokoro herself. She remembered when one boy tried to shake her down for her lunch money and Ryuji punched him since he and Kotonoha went to pick her up from school.

That was the kind of guy she wanted to give chocolate to. A guy like her Ryuji-niichan. The perfect big brother a girl could ask for.

As Kokoro was busy with her Valentine's Day planning for giving Ryuji chocolate, she didn't notice a ball of light slip through her open window. It hovered near her ceiling as it watched Kokoro work on a Valentine's Day card that she wanted to give with her candy. Shivering in excitement, the ball fired down and entered her body in a flash.

"Huh?" Kokoro blinked in confusion. Looking down, she found sand spilling out of her clothes. "Oh!"

The sand piled up on the floor before merging together to create the upper half of some kind of being. It seemed to have Greek-style armor and clothes. His face was covered by a Greek-helmet that hid his eyes and most of his features. Small feathered wings stuck out of his back along with a large bow and a quiver filled with arrows. Oddly, a pair of sandaled feet hung from above the sandy man.

"Hello," the being waved. "Do you have a wish today? I hope you do. I'd looooooove it if you did!"

* * *

Kotonoha and Ryuji were enjoying an evening stroll as they walked towards Kotonoha's home, hand in hand. She was back in her street clothes but still wearing his jacket. The boy wore a slightly apologetic look on his face as he cast Kotonoha a brief gaze.

"I'm sorry about what happened," said Ryuji. Kotonoha, despite loving the boy, was still a little angry. At least she wasn't mad enough to not hold hands with him. Well, she wasn't completely angry. She was just partly annoyed by his violent temper.

"You didn't have to break that man's wrist," she scolded.

"Hey, he slapped your rear," Ryuji retorted "I could've done a whole lot worse to him." The man who'd slapped Kotonoha's rear was a college student and well one of the people now added to Ryuji's list. The list had names of people he didn't like. Sekai's name had been crossed out but Makoto and Taisuke's names still remained.

Kotonoha sighed, "I know, I know." She spoke, "But you really need to learn to control that temper of yours."

"I have perfect control of my temper," he boasted. "I just don't like it when people treat you like an object instead of a person. They shouldn't be touching you like that."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun…" She stopped to face him and then stood up on the tips of her toes to kiss him.

Above them was an Imagin that looked like an angel. "So, he's the one, huh?" the Imagin wondered. "Well, it's her wish and I'm sworn to grant it."

Ryuji and Kotonoha were just getting comfortable, with his arms around her waist holding her close, when all of a sudden his watch started to beep, alerting him on the presence of an Imagin. Kotonoha moaned, mortified, knowing what this meant, as Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows.

'_Will I never have a moment's peace?_' the Rider thought. Probably not. He looked for the source of the alarm when his sharper than average sense of hearing caught the sound of flapping. It was not from a bird as it was far too big. He looked upwards and there he saw an Imagin. The Imagin looked humanoid, in Greek style armor and clothing. It wore a white tunic with a gold armor covering its right shoulder and chest. It also wore golden bracelets around its wrists. On its head was a golden Greek-style gladiator's helmet and on its feet were sandals. What proved its inhuman status were the white wings on its back and its bronze skin.

The Imagin landed in front of the couple. Ryuji immediately pushed Kotonoha behind him, standing in front of her protectively, as he eyed this Imagin. He could see the bow and quiver of arrows.

"Excuse me," the Imagin began. "Are you Ryuji Hasuma?"

Ryuji blinked. This Imagin was strangely polite. He was briefly reminded of Loki but shook his head. This Imagin may just be pretending. Ryuji, nevertheless, answered, "Yes, that's me."

"Oh, good!" the Imagin smiled. "I've been looking for you. I'm Eros, by the way."

Ryuji quirked an eyebrow, hand going into his pocket and gripping his Pass. "Oh, and why have you been looking for me?"

"Well, because my contractor wants you," Eros answered honestly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you to come with me."

Ryuji rolled his eyes. As if he would willingly go with an Imagin. "Sorry, Eros, but I'm not going anywhere."

"But I need to grant this wish!" Eros replied.

"Not my problem," said Ryuji as he pulled his belt from his jacket and with a swing wrapped it around his waist. He fastened the belt and pressed the switch.

"I didn't know about this!" exclaimed Eros as he gawked at the belt.

"Well, be shocked and amazed!" shouted Ryuji as he called, "Henshin!" He slid the Rider Pass into his belt and charged at Eros.

"**IFRIT FORM!"**

**(Play Song: Double Action Sword Form)**

The energy shards bonded to Ryuji's body and transformed him into Kamen Rider Ifrit.

"Wargh!" Eros shouted as he ducked under a punch. He held up his hands in front of him. "Wait, hold on!" Ryuji kicked Eros hard in the stomach, causing the Imagin to double over. "OK, that hurt," groaned Eros. Ifrit went for an axe kick but Eros flew upwards to avoid the strike. He hovered in front of Ifrit, saying, "Can't you at least let me explain?"

"Enough talk!" yelled Ifrit as he produced one of his Ifrit Dao. "You're going down!" He started slashing at Eros, who had to dodge from the vicious slashes of Ifrit's sword. Kotonoha watched the one-sided fight with some confusion. Why wasn't the Imagin fighting back?

Ifrit leapt up and smashed both his feet into Eros' chest, sending him sailing through the air. Eros managed to right himself with his wings and looked ahead to see Ifrit charging. He gasped, "Not good!" and fumbled for his bow. When he got it in his hand, he reached behind him for his quiver and pulled out an arrow, tipped with a heart-shaped arrowhead. "Sorry about this, but you need to calm down!" Eros notched the arrow and aimed for the charging Rider.

Kotonoha shouted, "Ryuji-kun, watch out!"

Eros let the arrow fly and it got stuck in Ifrit's chest. It glowed before it vanished. Ifrit gasped and dropped his sword before he collapsed onto his knees, hugging himself. "What…what did you do?" demanded Ifrit as he felt a rush of a familiar emotion…

**(End Song: Double Action Sword Form)**

"Ryuji-kun!" shouted Kotonoha as she ran towards her boyfriend. She knelt down, as he turned to face her. "Are you okay?"

Ifrit then realized that he was. "Actually…I feel fine," said Ifrit. Eros just stared.

"OK, that wasn't supposed to happen," Eros scratched his head. "That arrow was supposed to make you fall in love with the person I wanted you to."

This made Kotonoha do a double-take. "Nani?"

"Oh, I should explain who I am," Eros said. "I am Eros, the Cupid Imagin, at your service!" He bowed with his right fist to his chest and his left arm behind him. Ifrit and Kotonoha blinked at the declaration. Cupid Imagin?

"OK, time out," said Ifrit as he did the 'time-out' hand signal. He stood up with Kotonoha and his armor vanished. "Those arrows make people fall in love with whoever you want?"

"Pretty much," said Eros. "But it looks like they don't work on people who are already in love. Well, true love, anyway." He looked at Ryuji and Kotonoha. "You, Mr. Hasuma, feel strongly for this girl, which is why my arrow had no effect. That's true unconditional love right there." Eros sighed. "And Kokoro was really looking forward for me to grant her wish."

Now Ryuji and Kotonoha's eyes widened.

"Kokoro-chan?" Ryuji said.

"What does my sister have to do with this?" asked Kotonoha.

"Oh, she's my contractor," Eros answered. "For a girl her age she has a really good imagination to think of this form."

Kotonoha and Ryuji exchanged knowing looks.

"I have a feeling that your little sis' wish involved me," stated Ryuji.

"Come on, we should get home," said Kotonoha. She turned towards Eros. "Ano…Eros-san?"

"Yes?" Eros responded.

"Would you like to come with us to talk to my sister?"

"Oh, of course," nodded Eros. "She's such a sweet girl and I wanted to see her again after I finished my mission anyway."

"Of course you did," muttered Ryuji.

* * *

"Tadaima, Kokoro-chan!" Kotonoha called. The sound of running could be heard as Kokoro went to the door, a bright smile on her face. She jumped and hugged her sister.

"Okaeri, onee-chan!" beamed Kokoro. She then noticed who else was with her sister. "Ryuji-niichan, Eros-niichan!" Her eyes brightened. "You granted my wish!"

"Um…not exactly," said Eros, rubbing the back of his head.

"Kokoro-chan, let's go inside the living room and talk about this," said Kotonoha.

"Hai, Onee-chan," nodded Kokoro. Kokoro hummed a tune as she skipped into the house with the others following her inside. They all sat in the living room and instantly Kokoro looped her arms around Ryuji's.

"Kokoro-chan," asked Kotonoha. "Did you ask Eros-san for a wish?"

"Sure did," nodded Kokoro.

"And what was it?"

"I asked for Ryuji-niichan to be mine!" beamed Kokoro.

Kotonoha sighed. She knew her sister was rather fond of Ryuji, but she never knew it was this much.

"Well, Kokoro-chan," admitted Eros, "I tried to use my arrows on him, and it didn't work."

Kokoro frowned sadly, "So, Ryuji-niichan isn't mine?"

"I can be your brother if you want," said Ryuji.

"Really?" Kokoro's eyes sparkled.

"Um, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha whispered into Ryuji's ear. "I think she was thinking more along the lines of you being her boyfriend." Ryuji blinked. "She has a crush on you."

"She does?" he responded as Kokoro started to cuddle his arm with a warm blush on her face. He stared. How could he have missed that?

"Well, if she's satisfied then it looks like the contract is complete," said Eros. He was about to walk over to the little girl when sand poured out from Kotonoha and Ryuji's clothing, before forming into their Imagin partners. Kokoro gasped in shock when they saw this. Loki had his arms crossed as Athena placed her hands to her hips.

"You're not going into the past to cause trouble," said Loki defensively.

"If you wish to harm this girl," said Athena as she went for her sword. "You must go through us."

"You misunderstand," said Eros. "I don't want to destroy anything. I just want to spread love."

Everyone stared and facefaulted at the blunt admittance.

"Spread…love?" asked Ryuji. "Are you kidding me?"

"No," Eros shook his head. "This form has given me a reason to live for! I shall live for love and spread it!"

"Great, he's delusional," mumbled Ryuji.

"Onee-chan, Ryuji-niichan!" Kokoro exclaimed in surprise, "You have sand people too?"

"They are called Imagin," said Ryuji. The secret was out, might as well tell Kokoro. "This is Loki."

"And my partner is Athena," said Kotonoha.

"Partner?" questioned Kokoro.

"It's when an Imagin becomes bound to a person by their contracts," explained Loki. "From the day I came to being, I vowed to serve Ryuji."

"And I've made a vow to protect Lady Kotonoha," stated Athena.

"I see," Kokoro nodded.

"Kokoro-chan," said Ryuji as he tried to pull his arm away from the little girl, with limited success. "Eros shot me with one of his arrows." Kokoro gasped.

"Eros-niichan!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, I use my arrows to induce love," Eros said defensively. "It's how my power works."

"Yet, even if the wish is somewhat granted," frowned Ryuji. "You're still not going to the past."

"I know," Eros sighed. "But, I can still do this!" He turned into a golden orb and then darted into Kokoro's body.

"Damn it!" cursed Ryuji.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha scolded. "Language!"

"Gomen, Koto-chan," he apologized.

Kokoro removed her arms from Ryuji and felt a warm feeling inside of her. "Eros-niichan?"

Eros replied, _'I didn't exactly grant your wish, so I think I'll stay in here and figure out a way to do it. For now, I want to rest._'

* * *

Makoto looked out his window. Valentine's Day was coming and he was expecting chocolate from Sekai. But still, he did want more chocolates too? Maybe a few dozen? Was that being greedy? He didn't think so.

A golden orb hovered outside his window. It observed him for a second before bobbing up and down and then flying off.

* * *

It was several days later when Valentine's Day finally arrived. Since Eros really wasn't causing trouble, Ryuji didn't have any excuse to try and hurt him. Besides, if he was just trying to help Kokoro then he had even less reason to take him down. He seemed okay, and Kokoro just adored him, but Ryuji was just annoyed by him. He was always spouting out about love and such, but the most annoying thing was that he would always give Kokoro support and encouragement in her campaign to snag Ryuji as a boyfriend just like her sister had.

"This is giving me a headache," Ryuji sighed. He and Kotonoha were on the train heading for school. Kokoro had tracked him down and given him a big box of chocolates that she and Eros had picked out. It was in his backpack. The annoying part was the card that said 'please be my boyfriend too' on it.

"I don't think Kokoro-chan knows how relationships work entirely," Kotonoha giggled. She wasn't worried about Kokoro's behavior. Kokoro was just young and experiencing her first crush. She would get over it soon enough.

Thinking about relationships got Kotonoha's mind to turn towards her own Valentine's Day gift. She almost squealed in excitement when she thought about it. She and Sekai had been searching for a surprise for their boyfriends for a while and finally found what they were looking for. She couldn't wait to show it to Ryuji later.

Ryuji just enjoyed the feeling of sitting next to Kotonoha while holding her close. As he tried to keep Eros out of his mind, he heard sighing. Turning his gaze to the sound, he saw several girls with blushes on their faces looking his way. He quirked his eyebrow and all the girls squealed before they turned away.

"Do all girls act weird on this day?" Ryuji asked his girlfriend.

"If we have the right guy," Kotonoha smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Ryuji shrugged. He pushed the oddly-acting girls out of his mind. He figured they all saw some guy near him and went all fangirl over him. He knew girls beyond those that knew him would try to talk to him.

He already made plans to spend Valentine's Day with Kotonoha, but more often than not the best laid plans would get derailed by the most unexpected of things and for one Ryuji Hasuma he was going to have one really unexpected day.

"Ohayo!" Neko greeted Kotonoha and Ryuji at the gate of Sakakino High School. With her was Kenzaki.

"Ohayo, Neko-san, Kenzaki-san," Kotonoha greeted.

"Hey," Ryuji greeted.

"So, how's that Cupid Imagin problem?" asked Kenzaki in deep interest. The two GaroLiner Hunters had heard about Eros a few days ago.

"Presently, he's still alive," Ryuji said grouchily.

"You don't sound too happy," observed Neko.

"Neko-nee, that 'fairy' is annoying enough to make me want to kill him," spoke up Ryuji. "Unfortunately, he hasn't done anything remotely evil so I have to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"You just don't want to upset Kokoro-chan," teased Neko. Ryuji blushed.

"That's not true!" he denied.

"Whatever," Kenzaki rolled his eyes. "Well, Happy Valentine's Day to the both of you."

"You got your gift yet?" questioned Ryuji.

"We have plans," replied Kenzaki. "You?"

"The same."

"Ryuji-kun, let's go before the late bell rings," said Kotonoha as she tugged on her boyfriend's arm.

"Right," nodded Ryuji. "Well, see you in class, Kenzaki."

The two Hunters watched as the Rider and his girlfriend walked through the gate. The wielder of Gekiryuken instantly took notice of something.

"Is it just me," Neko began. "Or are all the girls checking Ifrit-chan out?"

"I don't know, but it's not you," answered Kenzaki. "There might be something more about this Cupid Imagin than meets the eye."

At the shoe lockers, as soon as Ryuji opened his, several colorful wrapped up boxes spilled out it. He gawked as he saw half a dozen of these boxes and he squatted down to inspect them. He picked up one that was blue with pink hearts on it along with a red bow. "What's this?"

Kotonoha gasped, "Valentine's Day chocolates!"

"Are you sure?" he responded as he picked each of them up. "Because I thought most of the girls were afraid of me."

Kotonoha narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth in jealousy. She spoke in a sweet voice, "Ryuji-kun, what are you going to do with those?" The look in her eyes frightened him and the tone of her voice sent shivers down his spine, unpleasant shivers.

"Well…" He took out his indoor shoes and slipped out of his sneakers. "I'm not sure." He shoved the chocolates into his locker along with his sneakers. "But I guess I'll keep them here for now." He put on his indoor shoes.

Kotonoha frowned. She was hoping that he would just throw them away. However, she was also confused. Ryuji had a bad reputation around school so who would send him chocolates. She had to get to the bottom of this.

She felt Ryuji's hand squeezing hers and looked up to see his smiling face, something nobody else ever saw, and smiled back. "Let's go, Koto-chan."

"Hai," she nodded as they both walked hand in hand into the building. All the while, several girls were watching them go with blushes on their faces.

In class, as soon as Kenzaki entered, he took notice of the girls checking Ryuji out. Currently, the long haired boy was reviewing some homework with Kotonoha. He even saw Natsumi, Minami, Kumi and Otome looking at Ryuji with blushes on their faces. Kenzaki cocked his eyebrow curiously. Didn't Ryuji notice nearly all the girls just staring at him?

Apparently not. It would appear that Ryuji and Ryuki were both dense when it came to girls being attracted to them.

"OK, now I get it," said Ryuji as he corrected one of the equations. "Arigato, Koto-chan." He would've kissed her cheek but then the teacher came into the room. Kenzaki went to his seat and sat down as the teacher opened up the record book and started counting heads.

* * *

During PE class, the attention Ryuji was getting increased. The boys were having a basketball game while the girls were doing some gymnastics. Kenzaki could sense that the girls were looking at Ryuji as he performed a perfect three-point shot and then a slam dunk. When he removed his shirt, the girls started to squeal.

"OK, since when has he gotten so popular?" Kenzaki wondered out loud.

* * *

Later, in the cafeteria, during lunch period, Neko just gaped at Kenzaki over her bowl of ramen. "You're joking, right?"

"I'm not kidding," said Kenzaki. **"**I even saw some of the girls trying to sneak into the showers."

"OK," Neko frowned. "Since when has Ifrit-chan been popular with girls?"

"He has a pretty bad reputation that repels most girls," stated Kenzaki, "He scares them off most of the time or insults them without a care. I can't see him being popular like this so easily…it doesn't make sense."

"He hasn't noticed, has he?" Neko deadpanned.

"Not to my knowledge," said Kenzaki.

"Looks like he and Ryu-chan have that in common. They're both extremely clueless when it comes to girls they don't have interest in but have interest in them."

"That true?"

"I had a front row seat to the whole thing way back when. They're as dense as bricks."

* * *

"Okay, I am seriously getting ticked," Ryuji scowled. "I'm tired of this stuff going on and it has to stop!"

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha sighed.

"I'm serious!" Ryuji frowned. "I mean, these chocolates keep popping up. Where are they coming from? There can't be that many girls in the school."

Ryuji's day hadn't been going as scheduled. All day, cards and chocolate had been snuck into every possible place where he could find them. His shoe locker was just the beginning. His desk was filled with various gifts and such. Heck, somehow his gym bag had gotten some stuff in it. Sadly, all his gym clothes had been stolen at the same time. He silently swore to get to the bottom of the mess he was in.

Kotonoha had been having the worst day so far. She had been seeing girls checking out her boyfriend all day and she hated it. Worse, some of the cards were very explicit in what they wanted from Ryuji. Others had even set up meetings in janitor closets or unused classrooms, saying they were waiting for him. Fortunately, for Kotonoha's nerves, Ryuji either tossed the cards out or tried to find discrete ways to get rid of the chocolate. Today was just reminding Kotonoha of the days where Makoto had been cheating on her. She was losing him then and she didn't even notice. She didn't want some other girl to try and seduce Ryuji away from her.

Both were on the roof, having lunch together. Loki had prepared Ryuji's bento and the boy was sharing his food with the girl he loved. Kotonoha also made food for Ryuji so now both of them were sitting on the rooftop on a blanket.

Ryuji's lunch was made up of three onigiri that were double the size of normal ones. Ryuji had a large appetite, true, but even this was a little much. He'd given one to Kotonoha to enjoy, and she was surprised that an Imagin could cook so well. Ryuji explained that Imagin were once humans whose world was erased while they lost their physical bodies. So, it just came naturally.

"I think that Cupid-teme is responsible for this," accused Ryuji.

"What makes you think that?" Kotonoha asked.

"His arrows make anyone he wants fall in love with anyone he wants," said Ryuji. "Maybe he just shot his arrows at all the girls to make them fall for me."

"That doesn't sound nice, but I don't think he would go that far. He didn't seem evil," Kotonoha frowned.

"You don't have to be evil to pull pranks," Ryuji retorted. "The one thing that annoys me is that I can't beat up girls. If they were Imagin, maybe, but I can't hit girls."

"You can't?"

"I don't hit women, unless they hit me first," recited Ryuji. "It's a code of honor that Ryuki and I share."

"Well, hopefully this will all blow over," said Kotonoha with a smile.

"Hopefully," sighed Ryuji. "Now, I'm ready for dessert." He grinned.

She blinked. "Dessert?" She was caught by surprise as Ryuji leaned over and stole a quick kiss.

"Um…" he licked his lips. "Strawberry lip gloss. My fave."

Kotonoha giggled. "Oh, you naughty boy!" She then tackled him onto the ground and kissed him passionately.

* * *

"I have the feeling that right now those two are getting it on," said Kenzaki as he finished his plate of fried rice.

"You're talking like they're a bunch of nymphos," said Neko as she slurped some more of her noodles.

"You know they do it a lot," said Kenzaki.

"They just love each other really much. That's how they show it, but I don't think they have the guts to do it on school grounds."

"You'll never know." Kenzaki then began thinking, '_If that's how Ryuji and Kotonoha show their love…how do Neko and I show ours?_'

* * *

"Ryuji-kun, we can't do it up here," Kotonoha reminded. She was buttoning up her shirt and fixing her bowtie. "We might get caught."

"I know, but it was worth a shot," he retorted. He didn't want to put his jacket or tie back on anyway. "It's just that you look so good, I can't help myself."

"I trust that you won't take advantage of me," she smiled.

"Hey, I know when a girl says no and means it," he crossed his arms. "I may have been evil but I still have a code of honor." He caught Kotonoha frowning. "What's wrong?"

"You're not evil," she stated.

"I was, Koto-chan," he said with a sigh. "A long time I thought I was. I was locked up because of that too."

"But you're not anymore," Kotonoha said.

"Yes, I know," he nodded. He'd made her upset. What kind of boyfriend was he? He wasn't evil, but he still had some evil impulses remaining inside of him. He couldn't shake them off. It was his nature. But…after getting his own body and spending time in this world, he understood why Ryuki wanted to protect the people around him. He never understood it locked up in that prison. He just helped his other half because he loved to fight. Now…he finally found someone he loved more than fighting. The irony was that he fought to protect her.

"Sorry for upsetting you," he apologized. He checked his watch, "Come on, let's clean up. The bell is about to ring."

* * *

"I DO NOT FREAKING BELIEVE THIS!" exclaimed Ryuji as he and Kotonoha returned to class. What they saw nearly made Ryuji explode in annoyance and Kotonoha explode in jealousy. Piled up on Ryuji's desk were love notes, Valentine's Day cards and chocolates. "Is there something wrong with the girls here or something!"

"Ryuji-kun, calm down," said Kotonoha, trying to calm him down while quelling her own jealousy induced anger. "Maybe they're not for you. Maybe they got the wrong desk." He gave her a deadpan look.

Kenzaki came into the class and saw the pile of gifts on Ryuji's desk. He stared at the single box of chocolates Neko had given him and felt a little envious. Of course, he didn't need to. It wasn't quantity that mattered, but quality.

"Hey, you two," Kenzaki said as he came in. "What's up?"

"You need to ask?" Ryuji glared at his fellow Rider.

"You know, most guys would love to be in your place. You're like the centre of attention. You're the most popular boy in school."

"I'd rather not be. I just don't get how these girls can like me so much. Look at my reputation!"

"Maybe they're attracted by you because you're the dangerous bad-boy type," suggested Kenzaki. "It's a possibility."

Ryuji moved towards his desk and just stared at the assortment of chocolates, notes and cards. Something strange was definitely going on since it looked like the entire female student body had suddenly started liking him. He cursed and swore a lot because he didn't want this attention and he built up his reputation to avoid as much female attention as possible. The only female attention he wanted was from Kotonoha and even that was currently being threatened.

"I don't want any of these girls," Ryuji growled as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He turned to face his girlfriend. "I just want you."

Kotonoha smiled and held Ryuji's arm comfortingly. He may have been acting tough, but this was really bothering him. It was like being mobbed but worse. Instead of being hated where he could fight his way out, he would be trapped since they didn't want to hurt him. It hadn't gotten to that point yet, but if things escalated like they had been so far, these love-struck girls might just try that.

"It will be okay, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha smiled as she gently rubbed his shoulder to try and calm him down. "When today is over, we can go on a nice romantic date with just the two of us."

"How did you know what I had planned for you?" Ryuji smiled with a small purr in his voice. "Of course, I do plan to make it a night to remember for you."

"Every time I spend with you is a moment to remember," Kotonoha smiled. Somehow, Ryuji had made her insecurities vanish while she tried to do the same to him.

"Oh sure," Ryuji chuckled. "Make my job that much harder."

Kotonoha giggled as Ryuji wrapped her up in a hug. What they didn't notice was several girls peeking into the classroom with vehement jealousy on their faces.

"You know, if you want to be all mushy, you could wait till I left," said Kenzaki.

"Go away," ordered Ryuji.

* * *

Makoto sat in class, listening to Taisuke complaining about not getting any chocolates. Makoto, himself, had gotten some chocolate from Sekai but he just couldn't believe the rumor he was hearing about Ryuji. How could Ryuji, who purposely repelled girls, get so many Valentine's cards and chocolates**?** It just didn't make sense to him.

Makoto was jealous. Ryuji had gotten Kotonoha as a girlfriend. Though Makoto was with Sekai, he did still have some feelings for Kotonoha. But, he just had to accept that they'd broken up. But still, Makoto should've gotten more chocolates than Ryuji.

The golden orb darted through the window and floated above Makoto. It observed him before darting into his body, unnoticed. Makoto stood up and went out of class, headed for the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, he stood over the sink and stared into the mirror. Sand began to pour out of his clothing and then piled up beside him. The pile on floor became the upper half of a humanoid being with its legs dangling above him. Makoto was shocked when he saw this thing.

"Do you have a wish? I'd like to hear it. Come on, don't be shy," the Imagin said.

* * *

Ryuji had shoved all the chocolates, notes and cards under his desk, waiting for the right time to dispose of them. The girls were all staring at him adoringly as the boys looked upon him in contempt and jealousy. Ryuji didn't seem to care. He now just looked bored as the teacher lectured in front. Kotonoha was diligently taking notes as he looked ready to fall asleep. He knew he should be paying attention, but how was all this going to help him in future?

Kotonoha had asked him about what he would do after he graduated and he just told her that he would continue fighting the Imagin. But then she posed a question. What would he do when it was all over? Didn't he have plans to go to college?

His grades from the last few tests had stunk. How would he ever get into a good college with these kinds of results? Of course, Kotonoha had gotten the number one spot and he'd gotten…well he wasn't last but it wasn't exactly something to brag about. The only subject he did well at was PE.

Kotonoha wanted to go to Tokyo University and really hoped Ryuji would go with her. Still, it was hard for him to pay attention. He may be a student, but he was also a fighter.

Suddenly, the door burst wide open and at the same time his watch beeped. Everyone looked towards the door to see a large brown figure coming into class.

"GIVE ME ALL YOUR CHOCOLATES!" the figure bellowed. It was an Imagin. Now, normally an Imagin would be scary and threatening. However, that was not the case here as the Imagin looked like a big Gingerbread man. His entire body was golden brown, with black dots for eyes, purple gumdrop buttons and a licorice bowtie. Ryuji and the rest of the class stared at the Imagin.

"You have got to be kidding me," muttered Ryuji. Still, an Imagin was an Imagin and this one was evil, even if its demands sounded stupid. At least it came when Ryuji was feeling bored.

The Imagin grabbed the teacher by his shirt and tossed him into the blackboard. It started to scan the area and then its eyes fell upon Ryuji. "YOU! GIVE ME ALL YOUR-"

"Here you go," Ryuji said nonchalantly, dumping all the chocolates he'd been given on his desk. "It's all yours."

The Imagin blinked and grinned. "Thanks." The Gingerbread Imagin started to collect all the boxes of chocolate into a sack it'd brought with him. The Imagin then eyed Kotonoha. "You have chocolate! Give it here!"

"No!" she objected defiantly.

"I said give it to me!" the Gingerbread Imagin went to grab her but Ryuji's hand grabbed its wrist.

"Sorry, but if she has something for me, I want it, so you can't have it," said Ryuji with a growl. He balled his other fist and threw it into the Imagin's face, causing it to scramble backwards and drop its sack. Ryuji flicked his wrist as everyone gaped at him. Kenzaki rolled his eyes.

"Showoff," the Wolf Rider muttered. Kenzaki just thought he'd let Ryuji fight this one. This Imagin was ridiculous even for him.

"You…BASTARD!" the Imagin roared and then it increased in height, becoming 10 feet tall as it increased in muscle mass. "HOW DARE YOU!"

The rest of the class screamed and high-tailed it out of there as Ryuji and Kotonoha stared, wide-eyed, at the larger Imagin. Kenzaki watched from his seat and decided to intervene when he needed.

Sand spilt out from Kotonoha and reformed into Athena, whom glared at Ryuji. "Once again, like a typical male, you put my Lady Kotonoha at risk."

"Just get Koto-chan out of here!" he ordered. "I'll distract Mr. Gingerbread here!" He took out his belt and Rider Pass. Kenzaki stepped down to stand next to him. "Kenzaki?"

"Hey, I'm bored too," shrugged Kenzaki.

The Gingerbread Imagin roared and slammed his fists down on the two Riders. Athena grabbed Kotonoha and jumped out of the way as Ryuji and Kenzaki leapt up, belts fastened and Rider Passes gripped tightly.

"Henshin!" the two called out.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

"**Gekiwaza! Ban Ban Chu!**"

"Gengi! Jigoku Tsume!"

Ifrit swiped the Imagin in the face with claws of Mythical Ki as Garoh smashed his fist into its head. The Imagin roared in pain and toppled backwards as the two Riders landed and did their respective Beast Fist poses.

"**Iron Will! GekiJyu Wolf-Ken! Garoh!**"

"Infernal Demon! GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Ifrit!"

Ice covered the Gingerbread Imagin's face from where Ifrit slashed it and it growled. It pushed itself back up to its feet and then charged at the two Riders.

* * *

The wall exploded as the Imagin smashed through it, the two Riders doing somersaults to avoid its swipes. Garoh then bounded off the ground and then swung his leg at the Imagin, "**Ro Ro Shu!**" The kick sent the Imagin staggering backwards.

There was a crowd of students forming and at the sight of Ifrit, they excitably went, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Oh, Kami! It's Ifrit!"

"I want his autograph!"

"Does anyone have a camera phone?"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Ifrit groaned when he hard all this. It would appear the girls' admiration for his Rider alter-ego had also increased. He so did not need this. Fangirls were just so annoying.

When the Imagin laid its eyes on Makoto, it grinned. Shrinking back to normal size, it then ran towards the boy, holding several chocolates it'd managed to get. The crowd panicked as the Imagin came close and it tossed the chocolates to Makoto. "Contract Complete!" the Imagin shouted, splitting Makoto open and revealing the swirling green portal before darting inside.

"Kuso!" cursed Ifrit as he and Garoh ran to the boy. They took out their tickets and held them over Makoto's head. The tickets displayed the Imagin's image along with the date: 10th April 2007.

"**Oi**," said Garoh, catching Makoto's attention. "**What happened on this day?**"

Makoto gazed on the date and said, "That was when I first saw Kotonoha."

Ifrit gritted his teeth and removed his Pass from his belt to slide in the time ticket, while at the same time shrugging of the girls who wanted his autograph. "I'm going," he said. The tune of the ChronoLiner played and said train appeared out of its portal and raced above the crowd. Ifrit jumped up, caught a door by its frame and pulled himself inside. The ChronoLiner then vanished into an exit portal.

"Wait for me!" called Garoh as his train came and he jumped aboard, entering its own portal.

* * *

**10th**** April 2007**

Makoto gazed on the beautiful girl as she looked upon the class assignments during the entrance ceremony. He wanted to talk to her so much. Suddenly, his body convulsed as sand spilt from his clothes. The sand then reformed into the Gingerbread Imagin, now laughing gleefully as he was in the past. Upon seeing the monster, everyone let out a scream.

"Now, to do some damage!" the Imagin shouted. It sucked in air to increase in size, growing 15 feet in height. With a roar, it started to attack the school building, smashing it apart with its fists.

The ChronoLiner appeared in the air and one of the doors slid open. Ifrit leapt out of it and down towards the Imagin.

"DON'T THINK SO, TEME!" Ifrit shouted, brandishing his swords. He slashed at the Imagin's eyes who howled in pain. Ifrit landed on one knee before standing up. "Heh, didn't think I could follow you, huh?"

The Imagin roared and a stray fist hit a portion of the building, causing several chunks of it to fall upon the students. Ifrit heard a familiar scream and turned his head to see Kotonoha. His eyes widened as one of the chunks hit her on the head and she collapsed, blood oozing from the wound. He froze in horror.

"KOTO-CHAN!" he shouted. The Imagin recovered and kicked Ifrit away. The Rider tumbled along the ground, his swords vanishing. He stopped facedown and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. He looked across from him to see Kotonoha, injured, and it was all his fault. She could be dead and he…

He had to save her. He had to…

The tune of the GaroLiner played and Garoh dropped down next to Ifrit. "**Hey, Ifrit!**"

"It's my fault…" Ifrit spoke.

"Huh?"

"She got hurt…"

Garoh wondered what Ifrit meant but got his answer when he pointed to where Kotonoha's past self was lying on the ground. Garoh ordered, "**Go and get her out of here. I'll finish off Mr. Gingerbread.**"

Ifrit nodded and dashed towards Kotonoha. Garoh decided to switch forms and pressed the red button before swiping his Pass over the buckle.

"**SAVAGE FORM!**"

The Imagin was too busy going on a rampage to notice Ifrit coming for Kotonoha. The Rider picked up her prone body and cradled her in his arms like a bride, before carrying her away. She had blood covering her face and probably had a concussion. He was relieved to see her alive. He could never forgive himself if anything bad were to happen to the girl he loved.

The Imagin suddenly found itself being bombarded by gunshots and turned its head to look at Garoh, who'd assumed his draconic Savage Form. "**Everything burns!**" shouted Garoh, "**Let me light the fire!**" The Gingerbread Imagin roared and charged at Garoh, ready to crush him under its feet. Garoh smirked and swiped the Pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"**One gingerbread man, done extra black and crispy, coming right up!**" shouted Garoh as he aimed his gun at the monster. It was charging up and a ball of fire formed at the barrel. He aimed and then pulled the trigger, letting loose the crackling ball of flames. It made impact on the Imagin's head and it exploded. The Imagin, now headless, toppled forward as it shrunk. Its body then exploded in a fiery blaze. Garoh watched, satisfied, but wondered where Ifrit had gone to.

* * *

"You're going to be okay," said Ryuji reassuringly as he ran with Kotonoha in his arms. He was looking for a hospital, or at least a clinic. "Damn it, where is it?" he growled. He'd made a makeshift bandage out of one of his sleeves and wrapped it around her wound. He then found a hospital, thanked god, and went in. "I need help!" he shouted as he stood in the lobby, "Please, this girl's injured!" He hoped his pleas for help would be answered.

The nurses immediately came to his aid, taking the girls off his hands and onto a stretcher. Kotonoha opened her eyes slightly to look at the boy.

"Who…who are you?" she asked. He gave her a soft smile.

He said mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Huh?" Kotonoha noticed she was blushing as she gazed at his smiling face before her mysterious savior turned around and walked out.

* * *

**The Present…**

As soon as he returned, Ryuji hugged Kotonoha tightly, whispering, "You're okay," repeatedly. He was relieved. He'd never been so afraid in his life.

"I am," Kotonoha smiled as she returned the hug. As she held the distraught boy, a stray thought crossed her mind. "Ryuji-kun…did something happen to me in the past?"

"Uhhh," Ryuji gulped as he leaned back. His hands were still clamped onto Kotonoha's hips. "Remember when Itou first saw you? At the entrance ceremony?"

"A little fuzzy," Kotonoha replied. "I remember a monster and then the doctors said I got hit in the head. After that, I was told a boy…that was you!"

"Me?" Ryuji asked innocently.

"You were the one who saved me!" Kotonoha gasped in realization. "You were the one who took me to the hospital!"

"I wondered if you would remember," Ryuji sighed. "Are you mad at me?"

"For what?" asked Kotonoha. "You were just doing your job. There was no way you could have known I was in danger."

"Maybe," Ryuji frowned. "But what kind of boyfriend am I if I can't even protect the girl I love?"

"Don't say that!" Kotonoha cried. "You're the best boyfriend a girl could hope for! A lot of people just can't see that! I feel so blessed that I have you in my life! I thank Kami-sama for it all the time!"

"I'm glad to have met you too," he said, smiling. He then turned serious, "Of course, there's another issue."

"Which is?"

"I need to have a chat with your little sister's Imagin."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling he's responsible for this whole mess I've been in all day," Ryuji answered. She knew that look on his face. He was going to get answers even if he had to beat them out of someone.

"Oh, before you do that, I got something to give you," said Kotonoha. He reluctantly let her go as she dug into her bag for something. She then pulled out a blue box with a black bow ribbon. "Here, this is for you."

"Valentine's Day chocolate?" he asked as he held it in his hand.

"Made by my own hands," Kotonoha nodded.

"Arigatou, Koto-chan," he smiled. He then dug into his pocket and pulled out an item. He turned his hand over and opened his palm to reveal a beautiful ring that looked like it'd been made from crystal. "This is for you." She gasped.

With a trembling hand, she took the ring and then slipped it on. She was surprised at how cold it felt but it wasn't unpleasant or uncomfortable. She stared at it, "Sugoi…it's beautiful..." The 'stone' on the band was shaped like a heart.

"Took me a pretty long time to make it just right," he told her. He then pulled her into a hug. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ore no Tenshi (my angel)." Kotonoha sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Aishiteru, Watashi no Senshi (my warrior)," she replied.


	7. Big Scoop

Ryuji scraped the tips of his blades against the floor, igniting sparks. Blue flames of frost energy engulfed his twin Dao as he looked up at his opponent. He was dressed in a full black bodysuit with no gloves on. There was some padding on the knees, shoulders, elbows and around his wrists and ankles. His hair remain unbound and wild, reflecting his nature, as his eyes shimmered with blue light. He crossed both his swords and went into a stance. One leg was out in front of him and the other was bent at the knee. He rested one sword on his left shoulder as his right hand gripped the other sword in front of him, horizontally, with his arm straight. Both weapons glinted.

"Come on, Garoh-chan," mocked Ryuji. "You wanted a fight so let's fight."

"Well, you asked for it," said Kenzaki as he tapped his Gong Changer. "Hibike! Howl of the Beasts! Beast On!"

In a violet flash of light, Kenzaki was in his GekiViolet suit. Deciding to not go with his usual introduction speech, he dashed straight towards Ryuji who charged right back. The floor they were fighting on was in fact the roof of the ChronoLiner.

* * *

Inside the ChronoLiner's dining car, Kotonoha, Ant, Athena, Loki, Neko and Andie could see the fight happening on a TV, which was connected to the train's own exterior surveillance cams. Kotonoha was enjoying an ice cream sundae as Neko drank a milkshake. Loki and Athena just watched the fight as Andie did her usual thing. Ant, whom Kotonoha had met months ago, was watching in interest.

"This is training?" Kotonoha asked.

"For them, it is," answered Neko.

"But they're fighting outside, on top of the train," Kotonoha said. She looked up at the ceiling, imagining Ryuji and Kenzaki fighting just above them.

"Well, in their line of work they may have to fight on more unusual grounds," stated Ant. "You'd be surprised how many fights end up taking place on time trains in the middle of the Sands of Time."

"I see," Kotonoha nodded.

Ryuji had recently taken Kotonoha to his home world to meet his family. She'd introduced Ryuji to her own family so it was only fair that she finally got to meet his.

* * *

_In front of the Hasuma-Narukawa Mansion._

_Kotonoha's eyes widened as she looked upon the massive estate as she stood in front of the gate with Ryuji next to her. The ChronoLiner had dropped them off in front of gate since if they'd showed up inside, the bodyguards would've attacked._

"_Sugoi…" gasped Kotonoha. "Is this…is this really…?"_

"_Yeah, this is where they live," replied Ryuji before she could finish her question. By they, he was referring to his family…his weird family. From what Ryuji had told her, Kotonoha had leant a few things regarding the family. She'd been told that they were rich but from the looks of it they were richer than hers. Also, Ryuji's mother was a fashion designer and his father was a god. She'd met Ryuki and Neko, but Ryuji had told her he also had an adopted little brother. In addition, Neko's Yin half named Kat was also part of the family, though she lived in America._

_Ryuji pressed his button on the intercom system, "This is Ryuji Hasuma, requesting for the gate to be opened." As soon as those words left his lips, the gate opened. With a smile, he took Kotonoha's hand and they went in. As soon as they did, several women in black flanked them and escorted them._

_It was a long, yet enjoyable, walk towards the mansion itself. They'd passed a hedge maze and a beautiful garden. Kotonoha took notice that all the servants were female. She looked at the bodyguards and asked Ryuji why women and his answer was that it was his mother and grandmother's preference._

_They now stood in front of the house. Ryuji pressed the doorbell and suddenly the double doors swung open and someone grabbed Ryuji and hugged him._

"_Oh, Ryuji-kun!" the woman exclaimed excitedly, smiling widely as she held the young boy. Despite experiencing this with Ryuki when they'd been in the same body, he still hadn't gotten used to it._

"_Mom, can you let me go?" Ryuji demanded softly. Kotonoha was giggling and this just made Ryuji blush even more. He was so embarrassed. The woman, Ryuji's mother, let him go and then approach Kotonoha._

"_So, you must be the young lady friend Ryuji-kun tells me about," said Emiko. Kotonoha blinked and looked towards Ryuji._

"_I report to Ryuki sometimes too," he shrugged. Ryuji was the newest member of the ChronoLiner Riders so everyone else was his senior. "And he tells mom here what I tell him, so I decided to give her details myself."_

"_It's good to meet you, madam," greeted Kotonoha. "I'm Kotonoha Katsura."_

"_Oh, there's no need to be formal," Emiko laughed. "Though it is sweet, but you may call me Emiko or 'mother'."_

"_Mom!" exclaimed Ryuji. _

"_Well, she's practically family. I mean you do plan on getting married someday, right?"_

* * *

The meeting had been both wonderful and embarrassing for both teens. Kotonoha had been blushing the entire time since Emiko kept praising her. The woman had also volunteered to take measurements in order to make a wedding dress. Since Ryuji and Ryuki had the exact body shape, she didn't need to take his since she already made a few others. It amazed Kotonoha how the woman had accepted her easily, but she guessed it was because she trusted the judgment of her children.

She even gave Kotonoha her blessings if she ever wanted to sleep with her son. After that they had to leave. Kotonoha later met up with Ryuki and Jinx in the Red Horse Private Institute. Ryuki had gone back to his original age and was a college student. She'd met Jinx too and while she was in disguise, she was still beautiful and Kotonoha found herself plain in comparison but Ryuji quelled that fear.

The black haired boy then took her on a tour around Fukurou and she enjoyed it. Fukurou didn't exist where she came from so it was a wonderful experience. Unlike her world, Ryuji's world had people with powers. The Justice League sounded like something from a comic book but she accepted the fact quickly. His and her worlds were different in contrast.

"Looks like we need to turn back," Ant spoke up as he stood at his table. Kotonoha blinked.

"Huh?" the girl responded.

"Those two fell off," stated Neko. "Let's go."

* * *

"**BIG SCOOP!"**

* * *

Miyako Serizawa looked over images on her laptop. These images concerned the recent activities of the armored heroes which had appeared lately; Garoh, Ryukendo, and Ifrit. All three of them were groundbreaking news and always made the front page. Of course, the faces behind the helmets were definitely going to be Pulitzer material.

27 years old, single, with long brown hair in a braid and wearing glasses, Miyako was an aspiring reporter working for one of Tokyo's leading magazines. It had been an uphill battle for her ever since she got her internship there. Usually she was delegated to doing paperwork or getting coffee for the other reporters. It didn't help that the boss was traditionalist and felt like Miyako didn't have a right to be out in the field. The male employees flirting with her didn't brighten her day either.

After some complaining and threats of lawsuit, Miyako was finally allowed to go do some actual fieldwork. Of course, the only jobs she actually got were small events that usually didn't get much attention. How was she supposed to get any kind of real advancement if she couldn't report any real news?

Then Ifrit showed up, and not long after him, Ryukendo and Garoh. Now those three were actual news. Miyako had been assigned to gathering data about their activities. It kept her out of the way, but the female reporter was discovering things she was sure no one else had.

All of Ifrit's sightings and battles were usually found in places where teenagers would be in abundance. Sure, there was the odd variation to that pattern, but it was there. She had also discerned from several witnesses that Ifrit's appearance time varied. It also didn't escape her notice that the closer the battles and appearances were to teenage hangouts, the quicker that Ifrit would arrive.

"So he appears quicker in these spots," Miyako hummed as she went over her notes. "The most recent attacks were at the local high school and he had appeared almost instantly."

Miyako was determined to find out Ifrit's identity. To be accredited with the discovery of Tokyo's biggest hero would make her career skyrocket. That was something Miyako desperately wanted. Besides, if she figured out Ifrit's identity, she could get him to spill about Garoh and Ryukendo.

"And since he appears close to teenage hangouts," Miyako reasoned. "He must be a high school student."

She smiled in anticipation. She discovered where her first stop would be.

* * *

Neko just sat in her chair, bored out of her mind as the teacher went on. She wanted so much to fall asleep. She'd stayed up all night training with Kenzaki and Ryuji. Wondering what her boyfriend was doing, she could imagine that the Wolf-Ken user was about ready to doze off in his class but was enduring the boring lecture still. Ryuji would no doubt be fast asleep by now.

All day, Neko had been getting a strange feeling. '_Wonder if something interesting is going to happen today,_' thought Neko expectantly.

There was a knock at the door and the teacher stopped his lecture to say, "Come in." The door slid open and a woman came in. "Excuse me, but who are you?" the teacher asked.

She took out her ID and introduced herself, "Miyako Serizawa, a reporter from Sakakino Star magazine. I'm here to interview some students about the Kamen Riders."

Neko's eyes now were fully awake as she stared at the woman. She was investigating the Kamen Riders? This was not good.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Taisuke cried as he waved his arm in the air. "I KNOW A FEW THINGS! I'VE SEEN THEM!!"

"That's good!" Miyako smiled. "I'll need to talk to you then."

Of course, Neko could tell exactly why Taisuke was so eager to get interviewed. Miyako was wearing a simple white blouse, but it was tight and made her breasts somewhat pronounced. She was wearing a regular business skirt, but it showed off her legs rather well. Her hair brown hair was tied up in a ponytail with pencils helping it stay together. She also had a pair of reading glasses on as she looked at a notebook she was holding. The pencil she was chewing on gave her a look of mature sexiness. Neko sure couldn't tell if she had planned it to get the male students easier to interview or if this was her regular look. Still, she needed to warn the others, unless they knew already.

* * *

"She came by our class too," stated Ryuji as he Neko and Kenzaki met up on the rooftop. The Ifrit Rider scowled, "She's snooping around, putting her nose where it doesn't belong."

"She wants a news story," said Kenzaki, "And she figures she could get some information here."

"She even interviewed Taisuke and any other people who've seen the Riders," Neko added. "So, how did it turn out in your class?"

"The same as what happened in yours," both boys answered.

* * *

_Ryuji just sat in his chair, bored out of his mind as the teacher went on. He wanted so much to doze off, fall asleep, and drown out the teacher's voice. He'd stayed up all night training with Kenzaki and Neko. Looking over to where his fellow Rider sat, he could see that the Wolf-Ken user was about ready to doze off but was enduring the boring lecture still. Ryuji had his head resting in his hand, yawning, as he sat in class. Kotonoha was diligently taking notes as she paid attention to every word. He envied her. She was studious compared to him._

'_When is something exciting going to happen?' thought Ryuji tiredly. For Ryuji, nothing excited him more than a good fight. School life was becoming a pain and monotonous. Time just passed really slow as he stared up at the clock. He wanted to get something to eat when lunch period came._

_There was a knock at the door and the teacher stopped his lecture to say, "Come in." The door slid open and a woman came in. "Excuse me, but who are you?" the teacher asked._

_She took out her ID and introduced herself, "Miyako Serizawa, a reporter from Sakakino Star magazine. I'm here to interview some students about the Kamen Riders."_

_Ryuji's eyes now were fully awake as he stared at the woman, even Kenzaki was fully aware after hearing her introduction. Kotonoha glances towards two of the boys with a worried expression. Was their cover already blown?_

"_Oh, I know some stuff!" exclaimed Otome excitedly. Ryuji scowled. Next to Taisuke, Otome was a big fan of Kamen Rider Ifrit. After that ero-zombie incident, her admiration was being targeted towards Ifrit full time._

* * *

"I say we should kill her," stated Ryuji bluntly. "Slade-sensei always said to eliminate any obstacle and this woman is going to turn into a huge one if she exposes our secret."

"Though I agree with what Slade-sama may suggest in this kind of situation, we can't just kill her," Neko objected.

Kenzaki looked between the two and commented, "You two do realize that you both admire a criminal, right?" Slade had a huge bounty on him but Kenzaki had to let it go for Neko's sake. Slade was like a father to her and Kat.

Ryuji ignored Kenzaki and shrugged, "It's just a suggestion."

"Ryuki told me you suggested the same thing for Makoto when you first got here," Kenzaki commented.

"Hey, it was a good idea," Ryuji retorted. "I could have made it look like an accident."

"Sure you could," Kenzaki smirked.

"Seriously though," Neko sighed. "What do we do about it? You know we can't let anyone know."

"Tell me something I don't know," Ryuji snorted. If everyone knew that he was Ifrit, he would be mobbed by everyone. It would make hunting Imagin that much harder since everyone would keep getting in his way.

"She obviously thinks that she can get a lead to Ifrit here," Kenzaki reasoned. "That means she must think he's a student here."

"And she's right too," Neko added.

"Right," Kenzaki agreed. "So our problem lies in how do we convince her that he isn't?"

Ryuji stated, "I still say we should kill her. I can just freeze her and…"

"No," the two Hunters interrupted.

* * *

Miyako was compiling notes that she had collected from all the interviews that she had gone through with the students. While she had been half-expecting a bunch of fanboys and girls, she was surprised that the ones who saw Ifrit had such good details. The incidents the students described were pretty good. It gave some extra insight into some of the incidents that she had been forced to cover in the past.

* * *

"_So when and where did you first see Ifrit?" Miyako asked the boy in front of her. His name was Taisuke. Still, the way he kept staring at her chest told her he had his own reasons for coming forward._

"_I first saw him when some kind of boat-like monster was tearing up the arcade in the shopping district," Taisuke explained. "It was really trashing everything until Ifrit showed up and started kicking its ass."_

"_So why were they fighting in the arcade?" Miyako asked. She hadn't been one of the reporters who covered the details in that incident._

"_Well, it seemed pretty intent on taking out all the video games, but it looked like it was looking for one in particular," Taisuke explained._

"_Really?" Miyako asked. "Then Ifrit showed up and stopped it?"_

"_Well, he did kick its butt outside before he did something weird with his belt and then blew the thing up."_

"_Okay," Miyako nodded as she took notes. The arcade appearance went with her running theory of his student occupation. "Have you seen him any other times since then?"_

_--Time Break—_

"_Plenty of times," Makoto Itou sighed as he rested his chin on his hand. "I mean, for some reason I keep getting caught up when a monster appears half the time. He then shows up and I get a front row seat."_

"_So what was the last time?" Miyako asked._

"_Well, the last time was when this freaky gingerbread monster appeared in the school and was running around," Makoto explained._

"_Why was it here?" Miyako asked._

"_Umm," Makoto gulped. He knew very well why the Gingerbread Imagin had been running around the school. Still, a lot of girls were pissed off after that day and had been hunting for their chocolates which Makoto had secretly stolen. They would have killed him if they found out that he had told that Imagin to steal the chocolates._

"_It was stealing the Valentine's chocolates a bunch of students had," Makoto quickly explained. "No one was really sure why."_

"_Okay," Miyako frowned slightly. The kid was holding back which meant that he knew something about the last monster incident at the school. She could chase that down later though._

"_So anything else you might want to add?" Miyako asked._

"_Well…I don't think he likes me very much," Makoto admitted._

"_Why would you think that?" Miyako asked in confusion._

"_Well, every time I see him, it feels like he was glaring at me," Makoto shrugged. "I don't know why, but it just feels that way."_

"_Hmmm," Miyako nodded. "So what is your opinion of him?"_

_--Time Break—_

"_He is a hero!" Otome squealed excitedly._

_Miyako sighed. 'Fangirl,' she thought. "So, what makes him such a big hero?"_

"_Are you kidding? He fights monsters and saved a bunch of people," Otome answered. _

"_What was the last incident involving Ifrit that you remember?"_

"_Um…" Otome blushed. "It was during that ero-zombie attack."_

_Miyako frowned. She remembered it well. She herself had almost become a victim of zombie molestation. "Did he show up immediately?"_

"_Well, not at first," Otome answered. "Ryukendo and Garoh were the first to show up and then Ifrit finally shows up to kill the monster."_

_Miyako thought it was strange. It didn't fit the pattern at all. Why was he late this time?_

"_So, anything else you'd like to tell me about Ifrit? Anything at all?"_

"_Ummm," Otome pondered. "Oh! He showed up during a trip to the onsen me and my friends had. It was really surprising. First that baboon thing showed up and then he and the other Riders did as well. I didn't actually see him, but I could hear him and the other Riders fighting."_

_Miyako blinked at that admission. She hadn't heard of an attack from anywhere like that. She would have to look in on it later. Right now she just wanted to concentrate on her interviews._

"_So what is our opinion about these events that Ifrit has been involved in?" she asked._

_--Time Break--_

"_Downright strange," Sekai replied as she thought about her answer. "I mean, those monsters sometimes act like monsters but sometimes they act downright strange."_

"_Strange?" Miyako asked._

"_Yeah," Sekai nodded. "I mean that whole ero-zombie thing? If they were murderous zombies then yeah, I'd understand that. Instead that one monster turned all the boys into molesting perverts who tore at my clothes and grabbed my butt. What kind of monster does that?"_

"_So why do you think Ifrit was late for that fight?" Miyako asked._

"_I dunno," Sekai shrugged. "Maybe he was off saving someone else. There were a lot of those zombies out there."_

_Miyako had to admit that the girl had a point. There was really no telling just how many men were turned into ero-zombies by that skunk monster. Still, Ifrit was usually quick to deal with the source of the problem so where was he that time?_

"_Do you wonder who Ifrit is under that mask of his?" Miyako asked._

_--Time Break—_

"_Not really," Kotonoha Katsura shrugged as she tried to look as calm as she could._

"_Really?" Miyako blinked on confusion. "That's a little odd. I mean, almost all the girls in the school seem pretty determined to find out who he is. Some fantasize about it really."_

"_I don't," Kotonoha answered. Her answer was a little strained, trying to hide the irritated jealousy in her voice. _

"_Can I ask why not?" Miyako asked. She smelled a lead coming to light._

"_Well, it's not like I don't want to know," Kotonoha lied. She already knew the face behind the mask and kissed it over a hundred times by now. "It's just I don't hold much faith that I'll be able to see. I mean, what are the odds?"_

"_Well," Miyako smiled. "If my leads pan out, you'll get to see him. Maybe you'll get to date him, if you can get past the legions of fangirls."_

'_Leave him alone, you bitch! He's mine! I'm not going to let anyone try to steal him,' Kotonoha raged in her thoughts. Ryuji needed to keep his identity secret or else he wouldn't be able to do his job! "That's a nice thought."_

"_So, have you seen Ifrit?" Miyako asked._

"_A few times," Kotonoha admitted. "Once during the onsen trip my friends and I went on. The other times were when those monsters showed up at the school."_

"_So what's your opinion about these monsters?" Miyako asked. "Why do you think the monsters keep showing up around your school?"_

"_I don't know," Kotonoha shrugged. "They just keep showing up. That gingerbread monster wanted Valentine's candy and the mole monsters were running amok. I can't tell you why they do it."_

"_Well, I suppose you couldn't," Miyako frowned as she took some notes._

_She let the Katsura girl leave as she completed her notes. Out of everything she heard, it seemed that Katsura and Itou knew something but weren't willing to tell. It all just served to make the young reporter smile. She was on the right track._

* * *

It was after school and both Kotonoha and Ryuji were walking side by side towards the train station. The girl wore a troubled expression on her face, which did not go unnoticed by her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You seem worried."

"That woman is trying to expose you," she answered. "Why shouldn't I be worried?"

Ryuji stepped ahead, turned to face his girlfriend and clasped her hands in his. He then kissed her forehead, effectively calming her. "Koto-chan, you have nothing to worry about."

"But the questions she was asking…" Kotonoha began.

"Neko-nee and Kenzaki both found out that she thinks the Riders, or at least Ifrit, are high schoolers," Ryuji informed her. Kotonoha gasped. "They're keeping an eye on the woman."

"Did she interview you?" Kotonoha asked.

"I was able to avoid her," answered Ryuji. "Told her I didn't care."

"But still…" Kotonoha was still worried. "If she manages to expose you…"

"Let me worry about that," he told her. "Now, let's get home."

* * *

Ryuji stormed straight into his apartment and into his room. Turning on his laptop, he immediately logged on to the internet to look up some information on Miyako Serizawa. He frowned deeply, "If that onna thinks she can expose me, then she has another thing coming." In that three weeks with Slade-sensei, Ryuji had learnt a lot of useful skills, computer hacking being one of them. He was going to look up that woman's personal information and use it against her.

There was a lot more at stake than his identity. He could handle it but not Kotonoha. If his identity was made public, people wouldn't just be harassing him, but Kotonoha's family as well because of her connection to him. She didn't deserve such attention and to protect her, it meant protecting his identity. He was willing to do whatever it took.

His fingers flew over the keyboard until he found some personal information on Miyako Serizawa. Unfortunately, there wasn't any dirt he could find on her. Grumbling in disgust, he turned off the windows and turned on his Instant Messenger. He adjusted his webcam and microphone before took out his cell phone to call Kotonoha.

"Moshi-moshi. Koto-chan, you mind getting on IM? I got the web-cam ready. How's yours? OK, I'm right here. Ja ne." He shut off the phone. On the monitor he could see Kotonoha's face smiling back at him. "Konnichiwa, Tenshi-chan," he greeted, smiling.

"_Konnichiwa, Senshi-kun_," she greeted back.

Senshi (Warrior) and Tenshi (Angel) were pet-names they'd given to each other over the course of their relationship.

* * *

Though she had gotten some leads, she wasn't any closer to finding out Ifrit's true identity. The eyewitness statements only confirmed that he was a high school student but not any specific student. So, she decided to look up student records, particular transfer students. She was going to match up the first sightings to the transfer records and found something very interesting. She'd copied the records into a disc when nobody was looking. It was something any investigative reporter would've done.

"Ryuji Hasuma," she read. "Lives alone with a guardian. No known family save for several siblings. One of 4 Quadruplets." She continued reading. "He went absent for a few days but then came back to school without any explanation. After he came back Ifrit started showing up." She read back her notes. Among the students at some of those incidents, Ryuji's name would pop up. "Now, let's see about these two; Neko Hasuma and Kenzaki Tsukuba." She read their transfer records. It didn't give much information on family but right after they transferred, Garoh and Ryukendo started to show up too, and wherever Ryuji, Neko and Kenzaki were, the three Riders would show up too. That couldn't be just a coincidence.

Miyako was suspicious of those three. All the students, and a few teachers, wanted to be interviewed but those three avoided her. They were hiding something and maybe it was related to the Riders.

* * *

Ryuji finally admitted to Kotonoha what was worrying him.

"_You're worried about me?_" Kotonoha questioned.

"Well, think about it," he stated. "You're my girlfriend. If I get found out the paparazzi will be after you, not just me. And don't forget those crazy fangirls." He still couldn't believe that there was a "Kamen Rider Ifrit Fanclub". What he could believe was Otome and Taisuke being co-presidents of the club. They'd even given out free badges. "They won't leave you alone. I can handle it, but you and your family…" He clenched his fists, "I can't let that happen to you. You don't deserve that kind of attention."

Kotonoha was touched by his concern. He was so sincere and honest, unlike Makoto who'd lied to her. It was a good thing she broke up with him and ended up with Ryuji. So what if Ryuji had a bad reputation comparable to a delinquent? He was honest and genuinely cared for her.

Another IM window popped up showing both Neko and Kenzaki on screen. "Hold on, Koto-chan. Neko-nee and Kenzaki are online too."

"_We should conference_," suggested Neko. "_Kenzaki, move aside_." The two were trying to squeeze themselves into the camera's view.

"It works better when you step back from the webcam," stated Ryuji bluntly. He rolled his eyes.

"_Oh, sorry_," Neko backed away a bit so the camera could capture both her and Kenzaki in view.

"So, what's up?" asked Ryuji.

"_Let's just say that woman just broke one of many cyber laws_," said Kenzaki.

"Online gambling debts?" Ryuji joked.

"_Well, she kinda stole our files_," remarked Kenzaki.

"Our files?" Ryuji repeated.

"_Particularly our records_," said Neko.

"_And how do you know?_" Kotonoha asked.

"_Oh, we have our ways_," said Neko. "_Well, actually, I passed by the office and saw her snooping around with a disc in hand. Because of what she was investigating, what else would she be looking for?_"

Ryuji bit his lip and said, "Where does she live? I'll kill her."

Kotonoha gasped, "_Ryuji-kun!_"

Ryuji cursed. He'd momentarily forgotten about Kotonoha. "Gomen, Koto-chan."

"_You can't just kill her_," said Kotonoha, but she was thinking a little bit along the same lines.

"_Even if you can make it look like an accident_," said Neko.

"_And shipping her to Okinawa won't help either_," said Kenzaki.

"I said shipping her to Okinawa and blowing up the plane on its way there," reminded Ryuji. This earned a shocked expression from Kotonoha. "Koto-chan, gomen."

"_Ryuji-kun, this is almost as bad as when you planned to knock out Sawanaga-san, strip him naked then tie him up in the girls' bathroom._" Both Neko and Kenzaki gave him strange looks.

"You should've heard what I suggested for Itou," said Ryuji.

"_You said you wanted to fix him_," said Kotonoha. Both Neko and Kenzaki knew what that meant.

"_Neutered, right?_" said Neko. Kotonoha nodded.

"_HELLO, RYUJI-NIICHAN!_" Kokoro exclaimed as she suddenly appeared on screen. She'd jumped out in front of Kotonoha.

"_Kokoro-chan, we're busy_," scolded Kotonoha.

"_But I wanna see Ryuji-niichan!_"

"_Out! Out!_"

Kokoro stuck out her tongue, "_You're no fun_."

"_Excuse me for a moment_," said Kotonoha as she chased her little sister out of the room.

Kenzaki palmed his face. "_Oh, yeah, we're doomed_."

"Cheh, you won't get into serious trouble if you get exposed. You can just leave," scoffed Ryuji. "I, on the other hand, don't have that luxury."

"_You can't leave?_" Neko asked.

"I got something worth staying for," defended Ryuji firmly. "No way am I leaving her."

"_Pretty noble of you_," admired Kenzaki.

"For the girl I love, I'm willing to do anything."

"_So was it you that beat up those guys hitting on her?_" asked Kenzaki.

Ryuji grinned, "What do you think?"

"_I'm back_," said Kotonoha. "_Kokoro's playing with Eros now._"

"_I can't believe you let him live after what happened on V-Day_," said Kenzaki in astonishment.

"Annoyed as I was, it wore off," said Ryuji gratefully. The arrow Eros had initially struck Ifrit/Ryuji with had a delayed effect, actually. It made Ryuji irresistible, explaining why he'd gotten so many gifts that day. "Lucky him," Ryuji muttered.

"_So, how are we supposed to take care of Serizawa-san?_" asked Kotonoha and then she fixed a glare on Ryuji. "_And don't suggest a thing_."

Ryuji remained silent. He knew he couldn't argue with her when she glared at him like that.

* * *

Miyako huffed an annoyed sigh. She was so close to Ifrit she could practically taste it! She was positive that those three transfer students knew the secrets behind Ifrit, Ryukendo, and Garoh. She knew coincidences existed, but with three armored heroes appearing at the same time three students transferred into the school, that's where coincidences ended. The problem was she couldn't corner any of the three to get any straight answers!

Also, there was a rumor about Ryuji temporarily turning into a monster himself when one of those monsters took over his body. That was big news right there.

"Argh!" she cried. "Why won't they just admit to being the Riders?! I can make them famous! I can give them everything they'll ever need. The JSDF will probably want to assist them once everyone finds out they're real!"

As Miyako ranted about the reluctance of coming forward and her three targets, she didn't realize that she was being watched. A glowing orb was hovering in the air behind some trees and hidden from sight. It watched Miyako's rant and obvious desperation for her goals. After taking in all that it could about her, the orb made its decision. Streaking down from its hiding place, it collided with Miyako and entered her body.

"Ugh!" Miyako grunted as she felt something hit her. Twisting around, she tried to find what had hit her. That had taken second place in her mind when sand began to fall out of her clothes. "Wagh!"

Miyako watched in fascinated horror as the sand polled together on the ground. Her eyes bulged out as a figure began to rise out of the sand. It appeared to be a tiger-like creature of some kind. It was wearing an outfit that looked like it was a bestial version of Tarzan's. Its legs hovered down from above, revealing that they had some kind of ankle bracelets on them.

"I know you have a wish," the creature spoke. "Hurry up and say it. My patience wears thin."

* * *

Ryuji was in his bathroom, splashing his face with water before staring at his own reflection. He was in deep thought over a dilemma. It was frustrating to say the least but he knew he had to do this. It was the honorable thing to do.

"I can't hide this from her anymore," spoke Ryuji to his own reflection. "She deserves to know the truth." He chuckled, "And she'll hate me for it." He stared at the reflection harshly, "What makes you think she'll ever trust you again after this? It's a stupid plan." He sighed, "But, if I don't tell her, than our relationship would be based on a lie." He clenched hi fists. "I have to tell her. She deserves to know." He turned and left the bathroom, switching off the light before closing the door behind him.

* * *

On the train that he and Kotonoha rode to school, the couple was sitting close together. The girl enjoyed these peaceful moments early in the morning. Usually she'd be reading but now that she had a real boyfriend, she didn't feel all that lonely anymore. Still, she could sense something troubling him. At least he would be saying something to her but he was strangely quiet.

"Ryuji-kun?" she called. He didn't seem to hear her. She tried again. "Ryuji-kun?" He finally responded.

"Hai, Koto-chan?"

"You seem troubled," she stated. "Are you feeling alright?"

'_No._' "Yes, I am," he lied.

"Are you sure?" she pressed on.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," he said, smiling finally, but she could see that his smile was straining. Could he be…no, he would never cheat on her not after everything they'd been through. "Koto-chan, let's meet up on the roof during lunch. I want to speak to you about something."

* * *

Ryuji was oddly attentive in class. For once he didn't appear like he was dozing off. However, this change in his behavior was starting to worry the girl next to him. She knew he wasn't actually paying attention. Though his eyes were open and staring at the board, his mind was elsewhere.

Time flew and soon lunch period came.

On the roof, Kotonoha and he sat on the bench. Neither had opened up their respective bentos. The boy scooted in closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. She gasped at the contact but smiled with a blush on her face as she moved in close and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Ano, Koto-chan," he began. "Remember how we first met?"

"I do," she answered. "It was around November, I believe."

"Yeah, when my team…my friends and I ended up stranded here," he added. "We had no idea where we were, until we got to school here." Kotonoha wondered where he was going along with this. "Koto-chan, you believe that there are other worlds and universes out there, right?"

"Of course I do. You proved that to me."

Ryuji swallowed, "And you watch anime right?"

"Not all the time, though Kokoro-chan does and makes me watch with her."

"If I were to tell you that in the world I came from, there was an anime based on this world, would you believe me?"

Kotonoha stared at his face. He was kidding, right? But then she noticed the serious look on his face. "There is? What's it about?"

Now it was time to fess up. "The lives of the students in this school, specifically you, Saionji and Itou." She gasped. "Ryan showed it to us and, well, before that I was a little skeptical."

Kotonoha needed to know something, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I hate lying to you, I hate hiding things from you and I hate keeping secrets from you." He clenched his fists. "Koto-chan, if I never came along, what would you've done when you found out about Itou and Saionji."

"You know the answer to that," she said. "It tore me apart, so I…tried to kill myself."

"Actually, there's more to it than that," Ryuji said. "If I hadn't shown up, your life would've taken a different route. Despite everything, you would insist that Itou was your boyfriend, denying what he and Saionji were doing. You would obsess over him and eventually…your mind would be broken." Seeing her eyes so lifeless frightened him. Thank goodness she hadn't seen it in his mind.

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

"You would've gotten back with Itou, eventually, but then things take a turn for the worst. Saionji would murder him." She gasped at this. "And then when you see the body, you just snap and then you kill Saionji with a dozuki."

This made her remember Katherine's words. Katherine had said, "You should've followed the script," and, "You're not supposed to have that until the end of the series." Now it made sense.

"So, all of us decided to make sure none of that would happen. We were assigned to watch over our targets and I volunteered to watch over you." She backed away from him. "Koto-chan?"

"So, I was just an assignment?" she said, looking down.

"Koto-chan, I-"

"So, you were lying to me from the start. You just wanted to make sure I didn't turn psychotic." Her fists were clenched and shaking.

"Koto-chan, please, I-"

"I hate you!" She stormed away.

"Matte!" He grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Koto-chan!"

"Let me go!" She struggled. He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Let me go!" she cried again, pounding his chest.

"Koto-chan, you've been into my mind so you know how I feel about you," he said. "Remember that feeling, please…" He held her to him. He was going to resolve this to the very end. "One thing I can never lie about is how I feel about you."

She knew how he felt. He loved her. She'd seen the images and what he thought of her, but after hearing all this, she needed to know something, "So…did you care about me from the start?"

"I…did," he confessed slowly. "When I first saw you, I started to like you. Remember when I didn't make eye contact?" She did. "You were the most beautiful thing I've ever saw, so I was a little shy. I couldn't look you in the eye before I started to blush."

"You're not shy," she said positively.

"Well, I was with you back then. When I found out what was going to happen to you, I made it my mission because I didn't want to see you suffer."

"So, you knew everything that was going to happen, even what happened with Sawanaga and I?" she questioned.

"Yes," he nodded. "We actually planned out everything, but there was one thing I never planned on doing." He confessed, "I never planned on falling in love with you. It just happened so fast. I thought I couldn't feel love, but then I was proven wrong." He stroked her hair. She gently pushed away from him. "Koto-chan?"

"I never planned to fall in love with you either, Ryuji-kun," she admitted as well. "And, I'm sorry I overreacted, but you just told me that I was just a job for you."

"That was the original plan. I was supposed to make sure you didn't suffer a mental breakdown and then leave with the others. But how could I leave you? You would've broken down without me. They would go, but I would stay with you. I never felt like a belonged anywhere else, until I met you."

"Ryuji-kun…"

"You may think less of me now, but remember that I will always love you. I understand if you're angry, frustrated, or downright hate me right now, but I couldn't keep this a secret anymore. I just couldn't…"

Kotonoha stepped forward, cupped Ryuji's cheeks in her hands, before pulling him down for a deep and passionate kiss. Ryuji blinked in shock but eventually relaxed and closed his eyes. He didn't make any other move. She broke the kiss and smiled.

"What was that for?" he questioned.

"You told me a secret, despite the consequences," she said. "It shows that you trust me."

"I've always trusted you," he clarified. "Now, I want you to be honest about something."

"What is it?" she asked.

He said jokingly, "Should I cut my hair? I mean it's really long and-"

"NO!" she objected loudly. "Don't cut your hair! I like it!"

He chuckled, "You just like to brush it and braid it."

"You want me to braid it right now?" she asked hopefully.

"Um…" he hesitated. "Maybe later." A braid would make him look less intimidating. The way it usually looked, all wild and unbound, worked well with his intimidating and tough guy image. A braid would look, well…dumb on him. How Ryuki made it work was a miracle. He said, "I love you, my angel."

"I love you too, my warrior," she replied, smiling warmly. Such a tender moment. Well, too bad it had to be interrupted.

'_RYUJI!_' Loki's voice invaded Ryuji's mind suddenly, startling him.

"What?" Ryuji growled. He turned to explain to Kotonoha with one word, "Loki." She nodded in understanding. "What is it?"

'_Ryuji, I'm at the supermarket. I was just getting some groceries for tonight's dinner and looking over the produce section…"_

"Get to the point!" snapped Ryuji, impatiently, feeling very annoyed at the moment.

'_Well, an Imagin is attacking the supermarket! You better come quickly. I'm holding it off right now.'_

"Kuso," the boy cursed. If only Kenzaki and Neko weren't absent because they were hunting down another bounty, he could just ask them to take care of it for him, and he wasn't sure if Warren was around either. "I'll be there." He removed the belt from his jacket and the pass from his pocket. He apologized, "Koto-chan, gomen."

"It's your job," she told him. "Now, go get that thing."

Ryuji gave her a grateful nod before whipping the belt around his waist and fastening it on. He pressed the switch and called out, "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!**" the belt announced as he slid the pass inside.

The tune of the ChronoLiner played in the air as it sped past the school. Ifrit leapt up and entered the cockpit as soon as the hatch opened. Now inside the time train, the hatch closed and the Rider took it towards its destination. He was angry because an Imagin had interrupted his tender and sweet moment with Kotonoha.

* * *

Usually, when one went to the supermarket, one would want to buy groceries, not get a front row view of a brawl between two monsters.

Loki had come to do some shopping, using his human disguise when this Tiger Imagin showed up. Its body was golden with black stripes and it wore a tiger skin loincloth and spiked ankle bracelets.

"Why are you attacking this place?" questioned Loki as he and the Tiger Imagin grappled.

"You'll see, traitor," growled the Tiger Imagin before tossing Loki into a display of canned goods.

The cans cluttered to the ground as Loki landed on them. He picked one up and stared at it for a bit. "Hm, this would be nice to have for later."

"Where's Ifrit!?" the Tiger Imagin roared and all of a sudden it got its answer as a blue fireball barely missed its head. It hit the wall behind the Imagin, covering it in ice. Ifrit walked into view, both swords in hands. He rested his left sword over on his left shoulder and pointed at the Tiger Imagin with his right sword.

"Let me tell you this from the start; I am very pissed off!" announced Ifrit.

The Tiger Imagin grinned. Oh, this was perfect. His contractor was already close to get the exclusive story she dreamed off.

Miyako was not too far away from the scene, camera in hand. The Tiger Imagin had dragged her to the supermarket and told her to stay while he did some damage to draw Ifrit's attention. As much as she wanted this story, she didn't want innocent people to get hurt, but the Tiger Imagin frightened her and gave her little choice. Still, now that Ifrit was here, she could get her story. She wanted to know who Ifrit was and she was going to get it if what the Tiger Imagin promised was true.

Ifrit and the Tiger Imagin started exchanging blows. While Ifrit was armed with his Ifrit Dao, the Tiger Imagin used a pair of gauntlets with long and sharp claw-like blades on them. It took a swipe at the Rider and he ducked before retaliating with a five slash combo. Miyako, meanwhile, was taking photos of the entire fight, waiting for Ifrit to show his true face.

The Tiger Imagin tossed Ifrit into one of the shelves, causing it to topple over from the impact. Loki scrambled away to watch but he couldn't leave his partner. However, he knew how much Ifrit loved to fight so he would only intervene if the Rider was in danger.

The Rider and Tiger Imagin ran through the supermarket, exchanging blows while causing some massive collateral damage at the same time. Ifrit then carelessly mistimed one of his strikes and now the Tiger Imagin had the advantage, slashing at the Rider repeatedly. He almost pierced Ifrit with its claws when Loki decided it was time to intervene. The Imagin partner of Ifrit/Ryuji summoned a fireball and tossed it at the Tiger Imagin's back. The explosion sent the Imagin sailing and crashing into the frozen food section.

"Ryuji!" cried Loki as he ran to his partner and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"What took you so long?" retorted Ifrit. "Now, help me out here." Ifrit stood up straight with Loki standing in front of him. The Rider took out the contract ticket depicting Loki and swiped it over the belt.

"**LOKI FORM!**"

Miyako could only watch in awe as Ifrit changed forms. The monster he had with him was absorbed into his body, turning his armor red and bodysuit black. A cape now hung from his back as blue eyepieces became added to the visor. She'd also heard what Ifrit's Imagin had called him. She now got a good idea at who Ifrit was. Her suspicions were correct.

The Tiger Imagin turned to look towards Miyako and grinned. Its contract with her was near completion. All she needed now would be solid proof. It dashed along the floor, straight towards Ifrit with those sharp claws it had. The Tiger Imagin took a swipe at Ifrit, but the Rider ducked and then sent a powerful punch into the Imagin's gut. The Tiger Imagin recovered quickly and roared before it started to take swipes at Ifrit who blocked all the strikes with his gauntlets. The Rider then executed an open palm strike on the Tiger Imagin, sending the Imagin tumbling.

"**Is that all you got?**" Ifrit taunted. Instead of the familiar sound of anger he usually got from the enemy Imagin he fought in the past, what he got was something different. The Tiger Imagin was laughing and then raised up one of its claws to reveal Ifrit's belt hanging from it. Shocked, Ifrit looked down at his waist to see his belt had been ripped off unnoticed. "**Kuso…**" he cursed as the transformation reversed and his armor shattered away with Loki reappearing next to him.

Miyako's eyes went wide with shock as she saw the teenager standing in place of the Rider. Both her guesses had been right and now Kamen Rider Ifrit was exposed. She took out her camera and started taking pictures.

The Tiger Imagin tossed the belt to the floor and shouted out, "Contract complete!" before dashing straight towards Miyako, right past Ryuji and Loki, and dove into her body which instantly split apart to reveal the swirling green portal. The woman, as soon as her body closed, felt weak in the knees and collapsed.

Ryuji grimaced when he saw the woman but now he had other things to worry about. As Loki went to retrieve the belt and pass, Ryuji walked over to Miyako, knelt down and dug a blank ticket out of his pocket. He held the ticket over her head and the image of the Imagin, along with a date, appeared on it. The date was 5th April 2002**.**

"Hey, what happened at this time?" he asked. He was curious to know what was so important about such a date.

Miyako gazed at the date. "That was when I started my carrier…" she said in a dazed tone.

Snorting, Ryuji took the ticket and backed away. A loud whistle then echoed through the air as the ChronoLiner came through a portal outside the supermarket. Miyako watched in amazement as Ryuji and Loki ran outside and boarded the vehicle. As it started to pull out, she got her senses back with a gasp.

"Hey!" she cried as she tried to give chase to the train. "You owe me an interview! Wait!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears as the train vanished into the past.

* * *

**-- 5****th**** April 2002—**

Miyako was trying to calm herself as she stood outside the Sakakino Star Magazine office building. This was the beginning for her. She was a fresh graduate from her journalism school and had scored an internship at this magazine. She had dressed up in a smart female business outfit, hoping to look professional.

"Okay, Miyako," the nervous woman breathed, trying to catch her breath. "You can do this. You can pull this off. Just go in there and blow their socks off."

As she prepared to walk inside, a pile of sand suddenly fell out of her clothes. Blinking in confusion, she turned to examine the pile, but gasped in shock when the pile actually began to move.

"What the…ahhhhh!" Miyako suddenly screamed when the sand pile erupted into a large tiger-like monster.

She wasn't alone either. People up and down the street were screaming and running for their lives away from the new Imagin.

The Imagin took one look at Miyako and with a growl, said, "Maybe I should start with you." It was about to take a swipe at her but a fist suddenly came flying past Miyako's head and into the Tiger Imagin's face. The Imagin was sent reeling by the brutal blow and then looked up to glare at who'd dared to attack it. It roared, "YOU!"

Walking forward was Ifrit (Loki Form) and Miyako just stared at the Rider in awe. Cracking his knuckles, the Rider then strode on towards his opponent. The Tiger Imagin unleashed its claws as Ifrit summoned his giant red dozuki, the Loki Slicer. The two sides then rushed at each other, exchanging brutal blows.

Miyako was stunned but then quickly took out a camera, muttering, "This will look good on my resume." She then decided to follow the fight into the streets.

Both Rider and Imagin fought violently as their respective bladed weapons sliced through the air and collided, sending sparks flying. They were fighting toe-to-toe and the civilian who hadn't fled were watching in awe. This was unlike anything they'd seen in real life. The closest comparison would be from some tokusatsu show on television.

The Tiger Imagin dodged an overhead swing that would've sliced it in half before using a jump kick to send Ifrit staggering. Ifrit gripped his giant dozuki tightly, enveloping it in flames before swiping it at his opponent. The Tiger Imagin decided to take the defensive and started to dodge with the agility of a tiger before striking back with the same ferocity as the beast it was based upon. Sparks exploded from Ifrit's chestplate as he groaned, "**Urg.**"

The Tiger Imagin then picked up a car and tossed it at Ifrit. The Rider ducked but then he heard screaming. Turning his head, he saw a family about to get hit. "**NO!**" He dashed quickly towards the family, running with incredible speed, before standing before them with his back turned to them. He held his sword in his hands and then used it to slice the car in half. The two halves sailed harmlessly past the family. Turning around, he was surprised to see who they were. He could still recognize Kotonoha's parents from his last meeting with them. The woman had her arms protectively around a small child as the man was holding the hand of a little girl with long black hair and familiar eyes. The girl gazed back at him in wonder. The parents then fled with their children all the while the little girl's eyes were on Ifrit.

Ifrit's eyes narrowed as he turned to face the Imagin. He roared, "**HOW DARE YOU STRIKE AT AN INNOCENT FAMILY!? YOUR LIFE IS MINE AND IT ENDS HERE!**"

"LET'S SEE YOU TRY!" the Tiger Imagin roared back as it charged at Ifrit. Ifrit's hand went to his belt and he pressed the button.

"**FULL CHARGE!**" the belt announced as the Rider gripped his sword tightly in both hands.

"**GENJYU IFRIT-KEN!**" Ifrit called as he started to summon the Mythical Ki in his body. The flames surrounding his blade intensified as his body ignited in flames. "**GENGI! JIGOKU DISUKU!**" He tossed his dozuki at the Imagin. It spun through the air and became a flaming disc of death. The Imagin was unable to dodge and was sliced in half at the waist before erupting into a fiery blaze. The spinning dozuki returned to Ifrit's hands like a boomerang.

Panting in exhaustion, yet satisfied by his victory, the Rider turned away and walked towards the ChronoLiner which had shown up to pick him up. He stopped at the door for a moment when he felt someone tugging on his cape. He turned around to see the little girl holding up a bunch of cherry blossoms to him. He took the flowers from the girl who beamed at him before her parents went to collect her. He wasn't oblivious. He knew who this girl was. Turning back to the door, he entered the ChronoLiner and it sped into a portal back to the present.

* * *

When Ryuji returned to the present, he was surprised to see Miyako talking to Kotonoha in the hallway. The boy's eyes narrowed as his lips narrowed into a frown. He walked over and grabbed Miyako's shoulders before spinning the woman around to face him. "Let me make this clear to you, woman. You better keep my identity a secret or else-"

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha exclaimed, "Stop this right now." He was startled by her outburst.

"But, Koto-chan, she-" Ryuji began but was halted by her intense gaze. He sighed, "Fine."

"Maybe we should talk on the roof," said Miyako. "And we have a lot to talk about," she smiled.

Ryuji's eyes narrowed dangerously at the reporter. He couldn't let her reveal his identity. There was too much at stake. "Fine," he relented.

* * *

"Okay," Miyako sighed. "Katsura-san here explained a few things to me about just what the heck is going on around here. It's a little odd for me, but I feel I have to confirm it all. Does that sound okay?"

"Go ahead," Ryuji frowned. He would have cussed, but Kotonoha was right there and she didn't like it unless the situation called for it.

"Good," Miyako nodded. It was days like this that made her wish she was a smoker. "So, these monsters are called Imagin. Short version is that they're from the future and they come back to the past so to make sure our future becomes their present."

"So far so good," Ryuji nodded.

"And you, Ifrit, are charged with the duty of making sure that they can't do that," Miyako continued.

"And that's why you can't reveal the identities of Ryuji-kun and the other Riders!" Kotonoha insisted. "They wouldn't be able to do their jobs and people would be at risk."

Miyako sighed and leaned against the wall surrounding the edge of the building, "Jeez, the biggest story in existence and I can't report it."

"Does that mean…?" Kotonoha asked hopefully.

"That's right," Miyako nodded. "I never saw Ifrit's face. My lips are sealed."

"Yatta!" Ryuji cheered. "I guess you aren't so bad after all!"

"BUT!!" Miyako called, catching the pair's attention. "This little service doesn't come free. If you want my silence, then you'll have to do me a couple of favors."

Kotonoha gulped fearfully while Ryuji frowned, "What kind of favors?"

"Ohhh, nothing hard," Miyako shrugged. A mischievous glint was coming over her eyes that reminded Ryuji of Takada when he got an idea for a new invention or a hot girl walked in front of him. "All I ask is for an exclusive interview with Ifrit. In return, you get my silence and someone who can pass off information to you incase something weird happens. If Imagin are as slippery as I've come to believe, you'll need the help."

Ryuji looked mortified as he gritted his teeth and his eyebrows were furrowed. This woman was actually trying to blackmail him. Well, not exactly blackmail, more likely exchanging services. All he had to do was to give her an interview and she'll keep her mouth shut. He still had his phone with him so it was an easy matter of erasing her memories. But still, would it be so bad to have another person in the loop that could relay important information?

"Fine," Ryuji sighed in defeat. "We have a deal." Kotonoha beamed brightly as Miyako wore a satisfied smile.

"Now that we have that settled, how about that interview?" Miyako asked.

"You really get right to it, don't you?" Ryuji quipped, mentally adding nosy reporters to the list of people/things he disliked.

* * *

The interview had been annoying for Ryuji, but Miyako knew what she wanted. Thankfully, she avoided questions that hinted at his identity. Mostly she asked questions about Ifrit's battles. Some of her questions were things like the first Imagin he fought to the toughest one. She even asked for details about the ero-zombie invasion. All in all it made Ryuji's blood boil, but he persevered.

"I think that Serizawa-san will be a big help, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha smiled.

"She'll be a pain in the butt," Ryuji grumbled. "She'll want more interviews or something even if she does have something helpful."

"It's still helpful," Kotonoha insisted. "A reporter can get all kinds of information that we can't. Remember when those Mole Imagin came to the school? If Serizawa-san was with us, she might have been able to warn us beforehand."

Ryuji sighed in annoyance. Kotonoha had a point when she put it that way. His equipment was only good for finding Imagin when they were using their powers. It couldn't tell him when one appeared. If an Imagin completed its wish without using its powers, he wouldn't be the wiser about it. That thought scared him since Kotonoha might be erased if the Imagin killed her there.

"Ahhh, let's forget about her," Ryuji sighed before he reached into his bag and brought out a bouquet of cherry blossoms. "Lookie what I found."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha gasped. She gazed longingly at the bouquet "They're beautiful! Where did you get them? The cherry blossoms aren't supposed to bloom for another month or so!"

"Heh, they were blooming when I showed up in the past," Ryuji smiled as he began splitting the bundles of pink flowers. Taking one half, he handed it over to the smiling Kotonoha. "A very kawaii little girl gave them to me. A little girl with long dark hair and gorgeous brown eyes."

"You mean…I did?" Kotonoha gasped. "You saw me in the past?"

"I did," Ryuji chuckled. "You know, that's one more time that we've met up in the past. Weird, huh?"

"It's fate," Kotonoha smiled brightly. She hugged the bundle of cherry blossoms to her chest. "We're really meant to be."

"I'm not much of a believer in fate," Ryuji grumbled. Gripping Kotonoha by the hips, he lifted her up into the air. Smiling impishly, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "I'd rather think I found you and we fell in love our own way."

"Well, I call it fate, and you call it us," Kotonoha giggled as their noses touched. "I'm not arguing about the results."

"No way," Ryuji smirked before he took Kotonoha's lips in a kiss.

The two remained connected at the lips for a moment before they each retreated to take a breath. Kotonoha was panting audibly as she nuzzled against Ryuji's neck and kissed the flesh. She almost giggled as she heard him purr.

"Senshi-kun," Kotonoha whispered. "Is anyone at your apartment?"

"Just Loki, and I can get him to take a hike," Ryuji muttered back.

"Good. Take me to your apartment," Kotonoha panted. "I need you right now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ryuji smirked. Letting Kotonoha back to the ground, the pair made a mad dash for the trains. They had a long night ahead of them.


	8. The Demon Prince

An Imagin, resembling a platypus, was running through the darkened streets. However, it wasn't in a hurry to grant a wish to fulfill a contract. Quite the contrary really. The Platypus Imagin was, in fact, running for its life.

"Leave me alone!" the Imagin cried. Following it close behind was an armored figure and the lampposts revealed that his suit was silver, red and black. The pursuer had malicious red eyes and as he moved the sounds of chains clattering could be heard.

The Imagin stopped to catch its breath and turned around to see that its pursuer had disappeared. Its relief, however, was short lived as the sound of chains breaking caught its attention. The Platypus Imagin looked upwards and gasped in shock and terror as its pursuer now stood on top of the lamppost. "No!" the Imagin cried, "Stay way!"

"For what you attempted to do, I shall grant you mercy," its pursuer said as red eyes bore into the Imagin's own.

"Mercy?"

"I'll make your death quick and painless."

"W-Wait!"

The Imagin let out a terrible scream which then faded into the night. The pitch black sky had no clouds or stars, but there was a crescent moon with an odd red glow around it floating in the air.

* * *

**"THE DEMON PRINCE"**

* * *

"No," Ryuji responded curtly as he crossed his arms. "I'm not doing it."

"Oh, come on! This can so work well for your PR," insisted Miyako Serizawa, the reporter of the Sakakino Star Magazine, who found out about Ryuji's secret "after-school-activities".

"I'm not going on a talk show so you can boost your reputation. I only promised that interview and nothing more. That was the deal," he reminded.

The stubborn woman frowned. She was sitting across Ryuji at his dining room table with a bowl of cookies between them that Loki had prepared. Still she wasn't going to give up. "I can help you become famous."

"Fame has no meaning for me," stated Ryuji honestly. "I have enough of it already. Fanclubs, posters, action figures and comic books. Things like that would just get in the way."

"You know, plenty of people would kill for a chance like this," she told him, munching on a cookie. "I could just expose you."

"And I can just erase your memories completely," he threatened by flashing his cell phone. It was Smart Brain's own special phones given only to special operatives. It had many hidden functions, including a memory wiper. "Days, months, years…don't tempt me, Serizawa. Just because killing you would upset Koto-chan, doesn't mean I won't deal with you through other means."

Miyako sighed. All he had to do was wipe her memory clean then go to her home or office to destroy the evidence. It was easy for him since he had a time traveling train. "Fine." She changed the subject, "So, anyway, how is that cute girlfriend of yours?"

"She's never been better," Ryuji's expression softened. Miyako noticed that the hard gaze he held would always soften when talking about Kotonoha. It meant that the girl was really important to him.

It was March and currently spring break so Ryuji didn't have to worry about school until early April when he would start his second year in Sakakino High. He hated school but Kotonoha made it bearable. She'd helped him study for the final exam and he'd managed to pass with at least a C. He wasn't the best student but he did it all for her.

Kotonoha was working part time at Radish. Ryuji would always hang out at the restaurant to keep an eye on her as well as the horny boys who just liked to ogle her. He still thought the uniform was too skimpy but he was thinking along the lines of bringing her home with her in it and then…He shook that thought out of his head as he leveled a gaze at Miyako.

"That reminds me that I have to go, so you better leave," said Ryuji. He was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans and his signature bomber jacket.

"Fine, I was hoping to get another interview but well…"

"Just leave."

* * *

"Welcome to Radish," greeted Kotonoha and Ryuji smiled at the girl. She was so beautiful and sexy. He couldn't believe that he was dating such an angel. He was a monster and didn't deserve her, yet she insisted that they were fated together. "Konnichiwa, Ryuji-kun." She kissed his cheek. He blushed at the display of affection but he didn't mind.

"Konnichiwa, Koto-chan," he greeted back with a smile. She led him to a table and his eyes wandered to her swaying hips where the short skirt clung onto. '_Nice ass…_' He sat down and she was about to take his order when he asked, "So, when is your break?"

"Oh, in a few minutes," she answered.

"I was hoping you would join me here," he said, patting his lap. She blushed. Right here? What was he thinking? It didn't sound so bad though.

"Maybe when we're alone," she said to him. His eyes narrowed. He could always surprise her in the locker room and…Great, he was thinking like a rapist. It was just so tempting. He would just take her right now if she was all alone but he had to reign in his emotions and hormones. Though his Orphenoch form was ruled by instincts, he could not allow those instincts to make him do something that would jeopardize such a wonderful relationship. "So, what would you like?"

'_No dirty comments today_,' he thought and looked through the menu. "Well, give me a turkey sandwich, potato wedges, and a bun."

"Your drink?" she asked.

"A tall glass of Pepsi."

"And for dessert?"

Ryuji looked through the menu but then Kotonoha leaned in to his ear and whispered, "I'm not on the menu, but I could oblige." His eyes widened at the implication. She giggled at his reaction and said, "I'll get back to you on that." She then strolled towards the kitchen. It didn't escape Ryuji's notice that her hips were swaying provocatively.

Ryuji chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "Cheeky girl."

The bell at the door rang and someone else came into the restaurant. He wore black and white clothing. His shirt was buttoned down with long sleeves with a white vest, white pants, black leather shoes and a white tie hanging from his neck. His skin was oddly pale and he had short black hair with a long fringe hiding the right half of his face. He wore a fedora hat and round sunglasses. One of the waitresses greeted him and led him towards a seat. They walked past Ryuji and the Ifrit Rider's eyes widened when he saw the person.

"Can't be." He looked towards the counter to see the person's back facing him. The person looked over his shoulder and stared back at Ryuji. Ryuji gaped. "It's Amakusa's kid brother."

* * *

"Oh my gosh!" a waitress squealed as she got back to where Sekai and Kotonoha were gossiping while they waited for orders to be filled. It was lucky that things were slow otherwise they wouldn't be able to just sit and talk. "I saw the cutest guy!"

"What do you mean, Sae?" Sekai asked curiously.

"Well, the last customer to come in," Sae giggled. "He is just so handsome! He has an English accent and the way I could only see one of his eyes was just so sexy!"

"Wow," Kotonoha blinked. "Are you going to ask him out?"

"I might!" Sae giggled. "He called me ma'am and miss. The way he smiled was making my knees weak!"

"Sounds like he's really hot!" Sekai giggled. "Where's he sitting?"

"Near Katsura-san's boyfriend," Sae answered. "I'll show you!" Sae led them to where she saw the customer and pointed him out. "There, the one dressed in black and white sitting at the counter." The guy she was pointing at was busy reading.

"He seems really pale," noticed Sekai. "Is he sick or something?"

Kotonoha then noticed her boyfriend standing up and walking to the guy in black and white. "Oh no. Ryuji-kun."

"What is it with your boyfriend and picking fights?" Sekai shook her head.

"He does not pick fights," defended Kotonoha. "Trouble just seems to find him."

"Well, I don't want to see your boyfriend beating up that guy," Sae frowned.

Ryuji stood at the counter and leaned over to take a good look in the black and white clad guy. He slammed his hand down to get the guy's attention. "Yo, are you Amakusa's kid brother?" Since Ryuji was standing to the guy's right where the bangs were covering his face, the guy turned his head to face Ryuji.

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce oneself before asking a question?" the guy retorted.

"Fine," Ryuji frowned. "Name's Ryuji Hasuma."

"Kyoichiro Devlin Amakusa," the guy introduced. "Call me Devlin." Their gazes were both hard on each other and Kotonoha swallowed. She hoped Ryuji wasn't going to get into a fight.

Ryuji smiled. "So, it is you, huh, kiddo?"

"You remind me of someone. A certain Ryuki Hasuma," stated Devlin. "Are you related?"

"You could say I'm his better half," Ryuji replied arrogantly.

"The Yin half, you mean," corrected Devlin. "I can see a bit of him in you. You both look alike, save for hair and eye color."

"Well, you look like the snake," Ryuji crossed his arms.

"We're family so we share similar physical traits."

Ryuji still had questions. He asked, "So, what brings you to this place?"

"Boredom," Devlin answered simply. "I wanted to see the sights."

"Well, just keep your sights off my girl and you won't get hurt," warned Ryuji.

"I have a girlfriend so I won't be looking at any other girls," remarked Devlin. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sit here and read while I wait for my order, Hasuma-san."

"Sure, Amakusa," Ryuji smirked. He then returned to his seat.

Sekai blinked. She'd expected a fight, not a conversation. Kotonoha let out a breath of relief. "I should take Ryuji-kun's order to him," the long-haired girl said. She noticed Sae was frowning. "Ishida-san?"

"That guy has a girlfriend?" Sae repeated, upset.

Sekai frowned sadly for her co-worker. She had known Sae ever since she had started working at the Radish and she had never had a boyfriend. She had been unlucky in that particular aspect. Out of all the waitresses there, Sae had the smallest bust and with Kotonoha coming in, none of the male customers really paid attention to her anymore. Sekai also knew that Sae envied the relationships that her co-workers had.

"Um…" Sae sighed sadly. "I'm…going to take my break now."

"Okay," Sekai nodded. "Are you okay?"

"No," Sae sighed. "I'm not."

With that, Sae headed to the break room where the employees could take their breaks when they got them.

Over with Kotonoha, she had just placed her boyfriend's order onto his table. She was rewarded with a bright smile that made her heart flutter. Turning to the young man who was in his own seat, she decided to see if she could get some questions answered.

"Um, Amakusa-san?" she asked.

"Hmmm?" the young man blinked as he turned to face the young woman. "That's me. Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Are you friends with Ryuji-kun?" she asked bluntly. From where he was watching intently, Ryuji facefaulted into the table.

"Well, he's more like a friend of a friend," Devlin shrugged. "It was actually his brother Ryuki who suggested I come see the things here. Judging from the familiar reference though, you must be this Miss Kotonoha Katsura that Ryuki seemed to have a lot to talk about."

"That's me," Kotonoha smiled. "So you come from…Ryuji-kun's home?"

"I do," Devlin nodded.

"Hey!" Ryuji cried. "How come you weren't as informative with me!?"

"Katsura-san is asking deeper questions," Devlin answered. Ryuji growled and glared at the youngest Amakusa.

"You and your brother really know how to piss people off," Ryuji growled.

"Well, people say Onii-sama and I have that much in common," Devlin chuckled. "It's not intentional on my part unless you do something to annoy me."

"Hmph!" Ryuji snorted.

* * *

In the break room, Sae had locked the door and started to cry, palming her face as she stood against the door. "Why? Why is it that I can't find a boyfriend?" She remembered one day, 4 years ago on Valentine's Day, when she finally got the nerve to confess to an upperclassmen. It had been her 2nd year in middle school and the guy had been a third year. As soon as she'd said that she loved him and was about to give him her present, he declined and said, "Sorry, but I'm already seeing someone." That had broken her heart and she'd been suffering more heartbreaks since then.

Now, a new boy shows up, a really cute boy who was foreign and a complete gentleman, and he was already taken. "It's not fair," she sobbed. "Why can't I have someone to love that loves me?"

A golden orb floated above her and seemed to be observing. It could sense her sorrow and desperation. She would make a great contractor. All the Imagin needed to do was to find out what she wanted, get it for her, and go to the past to wreck havoc. An easy job since the Imagin knew what this girl wanted.

* * *

"I can see why Ryuji likes you," commented Devlin. "You're very pretty, Katsura-san." Kotonoha blushed and Ryuji was gritting his teeth. "Oh, no need to be jealous, Ryuji. I'm just telling it like it is. Sure, I flirt with girls but I never lead them on. I tell them I have a girlfriend but I know that women like to be complimented on their looks."

"Well, make sure to not do anything more than just compliment my girl, or else," Ryuji warned.

"Such hostility," smirked Devlin. "My brother was right about you. Mostly made up of Yin emotions but still with a bit of Yang."

Ryuji grumbled. He respected Devlin since the kid was a fellow Rider and was doing a great job back home fighting monsters known as Fangires. Still, he didn't like it when it looked like guys were trying to make a move on Kotonoha.

"So, why are you here?" asked Kotonoha.

"Oh, it was vacation time and I was bored. Wanted to check this place out."

"Did you use a train?" she asked. It was the only way she knew that allowed people to travel between dimensions.

"Oh, no," Devlin replied. "I came here on my own devices. Though, I am curious and wish to ride on one of those trains, I have something much better."

"Really?" Kotonoha gasped. "I didn't know there were other ways!"

"Well, they are rare and rather…expensive, but they exist," Devlin nodded.

"Hey, Katsura-san!" Sekai called from the counter. "There's still some more orders to send out!"

"Oh! Gomen! I'm coming!" Kotonoha cried as she dashed to help her friend.

"She's a real keeper," Devlin nodded. "I hope you plan to treasure her and your time together."

"She's my angel," Ryuji sighed. "If it wasn't for her, I'd still be that Orphenoch monster from back home."

"Yes, Danielle often does the same for me," Devlin smiled. "I'd be more like Onii-sama if it wasn't for her."

"I guess we have something in common then," Ryuji snickered. "Women who saved our lives."

"That we do," Devlin nodded. "Still, does she know about the anime?"

"Yes," Ryuji nodded. "She thought she was just a job for me at first, but she's been through my mind and I told her how much she means to me."

"A bold move," Devlin nodded. "Good. It tells me she means as much to you as you say. You did better than me though. Danielle found out I was Fang when I had to save her from a Fangire. It took her awhile to forgive me for keeping it from her."

"Hnn," Ryuji nodded. "It feels like you royally screwed up and you weren't sure if she'd ever want to see you again."

Devlin nodded. It seemed Ryuji was wise in relationships as well. It stood to reason since he had been with Kotonoha for so long. One couldn't be in a relationship like theirs for so long without knowing what they were doing.

* * *

Over with Sekai and Kotonoha, they were gossiping. Sekai had only said orders needed to be filled so she could hear what Kotonoha had discovered.

"So?" Sekai asked. "Why didn't Hasuma try to kick his butt?"

"Well, Ryuji-kun actually respects Amakusa-san," Kotonoha explained. "They aren't friends, yet, but are more like acquaintances. Ryuji-kun was only making sure that it was really Amakusa-san and not someone that looked the same."

"Oh," Sekai nodded, reeling at the fact that Ryuji respected someone. "So, does he really have a girlfriend or was he just saying that to keep girls away?"

"Yes," Kotonoha nodded. "He does. He mentioned her a few times."

"Oh no," Sekai sighed. "That's too bad. Sae really wanted to ask him for a date."

"It's okay," Kotonoha reasoned. "There are more guys out there."

"Maybe, but Sae has been getting shot down since her second year back in middle school," Sekai frowned sadly. "I'm really worried about her. She really needs someone in herlife."

* * *

It was later in the day and Sae was on her way home. As she walked, she saw a lot of couples walk past her. This just made her even more depressed. All these people looked so happy and she didn't have anyone. She'd spent so many days alone and wanted a boyfriend so badly. She wanted a boy to love who loved her.

She returned to her home, which was a room in a boarding house, and dropped to the floor on top of her futon. "Damn…why can't I get a guy of my own?" She was holding back tears as she screwed her eyes shut. She'd taken a job at Radish to maybe catch someone's eye but that wasn't working too well for her. All the guys that came either paid attention to the other more well-developed girls or were taken. Heck, she'd liked Ryuji when he came in but was surprised to when she found out that he was Kotonoha's girlfriend. Kotonoha would often talk about her boyfriend. Sekai even had a boyfriend called Makoto who she caught looking at her a few times as well as the other waitresses. Unfortunately, they were too young for her.

When Devlin had entered the restaurant, he held an air of sophistication around himself. The way he dressed was also pretty unique but it just drew the girl's attention. He was so polite with her and she decided that even if he was a couple of years younger, she could at least try to get to know him and maybe even get a date. No such luck when she found out that he already had a girlfriend.

The golden orb hovered over her. It watched her crying and sobbing into her futon. Perfect. Now was the time for it to strike. The Imagin orb dove straight into her body and she gasped in shock, arching her back from the sudden intrusion. Sand started pouring out of her clothes and then piled up in front of her. She sat up and scooted backwards as the sand started to form a humanoid figure from the waist up. The figure's legs dangled in the air above it. It 'walked' towards her and she couldn't escape it when she hit the wall. "Who…what are you?" she questioned.

The figure, which was an Imagin, instead answered with a question of its own in a childish voice, "Nee-chan, do you have a wish? I can grant any wish you want? So, do you? Do you, huh?" The Imagin, despite the child-like innocence it displayed, held cruel and malicious intent in its soulless eyes. "Come on, you can tell me!"

* * *

Kotonoha was held against the lockers by a male figure hovering over her. She had nowhere to escape as he was too strong for her. She could feel his hot breath against her neck as he started to take in her scent. She shivered from the sensation as his hands moved from her bare shoulders to her chest. She gasped when he squeezed her breasts and then moved his hands down her smooth stomach before resting on her hips. She looked into her captor's cold blue eyes as he stared intently into her large brown eyes.

Kotonoha was still in her work uniform. She'd walked into the locker room to get changed when someone entered and suddenly grabbed her. The guy was firm and gentle and didn't seem to want to hurt her. His attentions were pretty clear as he came near to her. She couldn't resist him as he held her against the lockers, undressing her with his eyes.

"You look so delicious right now," he whispered into her ear. "I want to take you right here, right now."

She finally spoke despite the haze of pleasure and anticipation in her mind, "Ryuji-kun, we can't do it here."

Her captor was really Ryuji and he'd silently snuck into the employee locker room to be alone with Kotonoha. The door was locked so they could be alone and have privacy.

Ryuji sighed and answered, "I know, but can you blame me? You're so hot and sexy right now in that uniform that I can't control myself. You're so irresistible." He started planting kisses on her neck which made her moan. "Come on, admit it. You want it as much as I do."

His words, his touches and his kisses were something that she enjoyed so much. He knew the right thing to say, the right ways and places to kiss and the right ways to touch her. Her face was flushed as she began panting. She wanted him right now too. Since he came in he never took his eyes off her and the hungry look he had just drove her mad with desire. Still, if they did it in here, they would get caught. If it was Sekai, it would be awkward. If it was Sekai's mother**,** who owned and ran the restaurant, who caught them then there would be a whole lot more trouble.

She decided to make a deal. "My parents aren't going to be home tonight and Kokoro-chan is sleeping over at a friend's house," she began. "How about I take this uniform home with me and then we can fool around as much as you want?" That was her offer and he looked thoughtful.

"OK," he told her. He could wait until they got to her place to ravage her. Thank goodness Athena stayed on the ChronoLiner along with Eros, using their hosts/contractors as portals into this world from aboard the time train. The two teens wouldn't get much privacy if their Imagin were present. Kotonoha had learnt how to block Athena out so the Amazon Imagin wouldn't feel anything that Kotonoha's body was experiencing whenever she and Ryuji made love. "I'm a patient man. I can wait." He smirked. "But first, a little sample." He then captured her mouth in a deep and passionate kiss. She closed her eyes and kissed him right back. Their tongues wrestled in their mouths before they parted. She was panting, her breath in gasps, as he smiled down on her. "Later, Tenshi-chan." She shuddered when he licked the sweat off her brow before backing away to the door, looking at her. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark as he unlocked the door, opened it, and walked out.

Kotonoha's heart was beating a mile a minute as he wore a wide smile on her face. Her boyfriend loved her so much! Well, maybe he loved her body but he considered making love to her as a bonus. Even if they didn't have sex, he would still be with her. That was why she loved him so much. He wasn't the type of guy to date girl only for sex. Kotonoha, of course, enjoyed having sex with him. He was a great lover and she loved to stare at his naked body. He had an athletic and muscular build that could make any girl drool just by staring at him. She also loved his hair which was surprisingly soft despite its wild appearance. She enjoyed running her hands through it. One time she'd gotten so excited that she tore a few locks of it off. She'd kept those locks of hair like a treasure, along with the cherry blossoms he had brought for her from the past. Ironically, she'd given him those same flowers in the past.

Kotonoha believed they were fated to be together. Ryuji, however, was a realist and didn't believe in fate. Either way, both were very happy. Kotonoha often wondered what would've happened if Ryuji never dropped into her life and she knew the answer from him. It took her a while to realize that he was right. She would've obsessed over Makoto, losing her mind, and maybe even…be willing to kill Sekai in her madness. Kotonoha knew herself that if anyone stole Ryuji from her, they would pay. Often she felt some evil impulse rising within her. That was when she'd bought the dozuki. She kept it on her so she had a weapon just incase she needed it. Ryuji had also been teaching her basic self-defense techniques as well as how to handle the saw like a sword.

Ryuji was the kind of guy one would only read in manga. He was a superhero in his own right and fought to protect the timeline. If anyone had told her she'd be dating a hero, she would just laugh but now that she was, she as grateful. She loved the way he looked in armor. She even loved the way he looked when he fused with Loki and wielding that huge red dozuki. The weapon was a tribute to her and her own dozuki and she was touched by the gesture.

Her Senshi…a wonderful boy who came into her life from another world… (Sigh)

* * *

Devlin walked out of a bookstore with a sigh. There was nothing of interest in it for him. He looked to the sky and noticed that it was darkening. He also noticed that he was alone on the sidewalk but he didn't mind. It let him be alone with hi thoughts. Of course, he wasn't totally alone as two small figures flanked him. One looked like a black and gold mechanical bat and the other looked like a small golden dragon.

"Didn't find anything interesting, did you, Devlin?" asked Fangula, the metal bat.

"Not really," the boy shrugged.

"Well, maybe we can look around more tomorrow, Master," said Roulette, the dragon.

"I was hoping to see if I can find one of those Imagin to fight," responded Devlin. "The last one was too weak."

"Or maybe you're just too strong," stated Fangula. "You have been training hard with the others."

"I know," Devlin agreed.

"You know, I wouldn't have mind staying longer in that restaurant," said Fangula hopefully. "Maybe we can stop by again tomorrow?"

"You just want to peep at the girls," Devlin retorted.

"My boy, I appreciate the beauty of women," retorted Fangula.

"You're just a pervert!" teased Roulette.

"What was that!?" snapped Fangula.

Devlin sighed. His partners had clashing personalities and only got along well when there was a Fangire to fight. The boy didn't notice that he was being followed. On the rooftops, a figure was watching him in deep interest.

* * *

"Amakusa-san is a Rider too?" Kotonoha responded, surprised by what her boyfriend was telling her as they arrived at her place.

"Yes," Ryuji nodded. "He's pretty new at this but he's got some game."

"What kind of monsters does he fights?" she asked.

"Oh, just some things called Fangires and…" His watch started to beep. "Oh, hell no!" Why was it that the thing would alert him of an Imagin when he was with Kotonoha. "Koto-chan, I need to go. I'll come back." She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Koto-chan."

"Go, I'll be waiting with a surprise for you," she said saucily. He swallowed and grinned before he started to run off. Kotonoha opened her door and went in. She had a lot to prepare and quickly.

* * *

Devlin stared at the figure standing before him. It looked humanoid and made of wood, wearing blue shorts with suspenders, white gloves, brown leather boots and carrying a sledgehammer on its back. Its face had white soulless eyes, a long pointed nose and it wore a pointed hat that was bent at the end with a skull-shaped bell hanging from it.

Devlin narrowed his eye. This was an Imagin…the Puppet Imagin.

"Are you unique?" the Puppet Imagin questioned.

"Pardon?" Devlin asked back. "Unique?" he repeated.

"Nee-chan wants a unique boyfriend so you better come with me." The Puppet Imagin's grin widened.

"Sorry, but I'm taken," Devlin responded. The grin on the Imagin's face vanished and was replaced by a look of anger. It pulled the hammer off its back and glared at Devlin.

"Well, then I better beat you up and take you by force!" the Puppet Imagin yelled as it charged at Devlin with the hammer. Devlin leapt backwards and dodged from the attacks with ease, his hands in his pockets. He avoided the wild swings of the hammer with the grace of a dancer. The weird thing was that his single visible eye was closed.

The Imagin was about to take one more swing at him when Devlin shot his arms forward and released the chains. He lashed the chains like whips and struck the Imagin hard with them. The Puppet Imagin fell backwards to glare at Devlin.

"Like I said, I'm taken," said Devlin coolly. He shouted out, "Fangula!"

"OK, let's go!" shouted the mechanical bat. Devlin grabbed Fangula in midair and held him against his free hand. The bat bit down and Devlin's Fangire markings appeared all over his skin. They were red, blue, green and purple stained glass patterns resembling tribal markings. With the Demon Emperor Power flowing through him, the ghostly chains wrapped around his waist and then melted together before turning into the blood red Fang Belt.

"Henshin!" Devlin called, thrusting Fangula out in front of him, before snapping the bat to his belt, upside down.

"_Wake Up!_"

Ghostly chains enveloped his entire body like a cocoon and finally shattered to reveal a new figure. He wore a black bodysuit under silver torso armor with a red chestplate that mimicked muscles. He wore red armored gloves and silver bracelets on his wrists and left ankle. The right leg from the knee down was encased in a metal boot bound by chains. The same chains bound his shoulder armor, which resembled folded bat wings. His helmet was the most intimidating, with a visor resembling bat wings and a bat head shaped ornament on his forehead. His mouth was covered by a silver mouthplate framed by fangs.

This figure was a warrior of the night. This was Masked Rider Fang, the Demon Prince and current heir of the Demon Emperor.

Fang struck hard and fast at the Imagin who just gawked at him in shock. The dark Rider took advantage of the Imagin's distraction and started raining powerful punches to its chest that sent it staggering backwards. The Puppet Imagin recovered and retaliated with a sideway swing from the right that Fang leapt over and then the Rider kicked his right leg into the Imagin's head, knocking it backwards. Fang curled his fingers to show that his fingertips had sharp claws. He used these claws to slash at the Imagin mercilessly. This was followed up by an elbow strike to the Imagin's chest then a vicious uppercut and finally a powerful side kick that sent it tumbling along the sidewalk.

Roulette floated next to his master. "Master, may I?" Fang silently declined the offer with the shake of his head. Instead, he reached to right left side of his belt and pulled out a red whistle designed after a belt and put it in Fangula's mouth. The mechanical bat flew off his perch and blew as he flew around Fang.

"_Releasing the Chains of Fate!_"

A crescent moon that shone with a red glow hovered high in the sky which had turned pitch black. The Puppet Imagin stepped backwards in fear as it watched Fang readying his attack. Fang bent his knees, crossed his arms at the wrist in front of him with the palms facing out, before spreading them to the side as he kicked his right leg up. Fangula flew around the boot, breaking the chains binding it to reveal a red layer underneath with green gem stones along the surface. The outer layer unfolded into a pair of demonic bat wings. Fang then leapt high into the air, the light of the moon behind him, before he plummeted towards the Imagin.

"_BLOODY MOON SMASH!!_"

Fang smashed into the Imagin as it tried to flee, smashing it to the ground, creating a crater in the shape of his emblem that looked like a large bat and leaving the same emblem on the Imagin as he stepped off. The Puppet Imagin then exploded into oblivion.

Ryuji had just shown up to watch the display and instead of looking angry, he gave an approving smile. "Kid's got some game."

What neither of them knew was that another figure had been watching the fight and snickered, "Nee-chan will be so happy when I bring him to her! He is so unique!"

* * *

"So, there' a new Rider in town," stated Miyako as she sat across from Ryuji and Kotonoha in Radish. Today was Kotonoha's day off and she wanted to enjoy it alone with Ryuji. Unfortunately, Miyako had to show up to talk to them about something that happened last night.

"What makes you say that?" Kotonoha asked.

"Oh, just heard a few rumors here and there," stated Miyako offhandedly. She'd gotten a sudden call the previous night at her office from a witness telling her he'd seen a Rider fighting one of those monsters, which she'd learnt was an Imagin.

"It could be Garoh or Ryukendo," said Ryuji. Miyako had been trying to get him to reveal the other two Riders' identities but she knew she wasn't going to get any answers from him. "Or maybe even Wraith."

"No," Miyako shook her head. "The description doesn't match. It's a new guy and I think you know that too."

"Sorry, but I was with Koto-chan the entire time," said Ryuji.

Miyako frowned. Ryuji was a pretty good liar but she knew he was withholding information.

The bell at the door rang and Devlin entered. The one to greet him was Sae. "Konnichiwa, welcome to Radish."

"Greeting, Ishida-san," he replied. "How are you doing today?" She blushed and averted her eyes. He was just so sinfully handsome.

"I'm fine, sir. Please, let me show you to a table," she offered.

Sae giggled as she led Devlin over to a free table. She knew that he was taken, but she could at least fantasize about it for a while. His girlfriend wasn't in town so she could pretend that he was making eyes at her for at least a little while. That alone would really make her day.

Devlin contented himself to his meal. Be it a guilty pleasure, but he liked to hang out in places where flowers bloomed. It really didn't matter if it was flowers or women, just knowing they were blooming brought a smile to his face. He would have preferred to be with Danielle, but she was off at a family reunion so he had to go it alone.

After his meal, Sae returned with the bill. As he took out his wallet to pay, Sae began to turn redder as she fiddled with her tray.

"Um…A…Amakusa-san?" she spoke timidly with an increasing blush.

"Yes, Ishida-san?" Devlin asked.

"Um…I heard you were on vacation here," Sae mumbled. "Is that true?"

"Yes it is," Devlin nodded. "I'll be here for a couple of days. After that, I'll have to head back home."

"Oh," Sae nodded, looking a little disappointed. She then began to brighten up. "W-well, I was wondering if…you would like to…hang out a little…with me? As friends of course!"

Devlin gave the waitress a neutral gaze. He then smiled at her which made her heart flutter, "Of course I would."

"G-great!" She felt overjoyed, even if it was a fake date. It was still better than nothing. "So…later? When I get off work?"

"Where should we meet then?"

* * *

Both Ryuji and Kotonoha were passionately making out on the couch. Ryuji had sent Loki out on an errand, leaving the two teens alone. He was on top of the girl, their lips locked tightly together as they embraced intimately. Ryuji moved from her lips to her neck when she had trouble breathing. The girl panted, gasped and the moaned when he started nibbling on her neck. "Ryu-Ryuji-kun…" He smiled. He loved hearing her moan. Hopefully, nobody interrupted them.

Knock! Knock!

Ryuji heard it the first time but chose to ignore it and give all his attention to the girl under him. Of course, the knocking continued on.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Ryuji sighed as he went to the door to see who was knocking. If it was some salesman or someone looking for a handout then they were going to get their asses kicked. He had just wanted a quiet night with Kotonoha and that was apparently being denied. Gripping the door handle, he ripped the door open, "WHAT?!"

"You know, Ryuki is much more polite," Devlin Amakusa answered.

"Who is it, Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha asked as she walked closer to the door.

"Amakusa," Ryuji answered. Looking to the youngest Amakusa, he quickly got to the heart of the matter. "What do you want, Amakusa? I was hoping for a quiet night."

"Well you're going to have to postpone that," Devlin sighed as he stepped inside. "I have some news."

"Like what?" Devlin frowned as he shut the door. "I thought that Ishida woman was going to show you around."

"That's part of why I'm here," Devlin answered as he took his backpack off. Unzipping it, he continued. "I sensed something that I am unfamiliar with."

As the zipper opened, two blurs shot out of the bag. Kotonoha gasped as she took in the image of the two beings. One was a tiny metal bat and the other was a tiny gold dragon. They both flapped into the air and hovered over the small group. Taking notice of the added company, the metal bat flew down to Kotonoha while the dragon flew to Ryuji.

"Hello, young lady!" greeted the bat.

"Konichawa!" the dragon added.

"Uhh…hey," Ryuji waved weakly.

"Kawaii!!" Kotonoha squealed before she trapped both bat and dragon in her hug while she cuddled the both of them. Ryuji bristled as he saw the pleased look of Fangula pressed against his girlfriend's chest, but was amused at the fact that Roulette was blushing so brightly.

* * *

Shiro Ikari was upset. Very upset. Why? Well the girl he'd been pining over was dating another girl that was why!

"Damn it, I was too late," he muttered. He took out his cell phone and flipped it open to reveal a picture of Sae in her uniform inside. "If only I had asked her out sooner."

Shiro had just graduated from high school and to celebrate he and his buddies went to Radish. That was the first time he ever laid eyes on Sae. She was so beautiful and yet Shiro was too shy to even look her in the eye, even when she came to take his order. He would come to Radish everyday to catch a glimpse of her and maybe even ask her out on a date, once he had the nerve. His dreams, however, were dashed away, when she saw her earlier that day with a guy dressed in black and white.

A golden orb hovered above Shiro as he lay on the floor of his room, utterly depressed. The orb decided that the boy would make an ideal host so without warning it bolted into him. Shiro sat up in shock as sand starting pouring out of his clothes and then moved to pile up in front of him into a humanoid figure with features from a Walrus. The strange part was that its upper body was on the floor while its lower body and legs hovered above it. The legs looked decked in armor and the upper body of the sand creature looked just as muscular.

"Tell me your wish, boy! Tell me now and I promise you I'll grant it!' the creature stated.

* * *

"So, how did your date with Ishida-san go?" asked Kotonoha.

"It wasn't a date," corrected Devlin, "Just an outing between two new friends."

Ryuji snorted in disbelief, "Right, tell me another one."

"She was just showing me around town and was the perfect tour guide," Devlin stated. "But that isn't what I came here to tell you."

"Then what?" Kotonoha asked with Roulette perched on her left shoulder and Fangula flapping at her right. The sealed vampire and small dragon seemed quite taken with her.

"Well, while I was with her, I sensed a strange aura signature," said Devlin. "I wasn't sure what it meant but sine you're the resident Rider, I was hoping you know."

Ryuji looked thoughtful for a second. He then asked, "Did she have sand spilling out of her clothes?"

Kotonoha gasped, "Ryuji-kun, you don't think that Ishida-san would…"

"Well, I did see a sand trailing behind her once or twice," said Devlin. "Is that important?"

"You really don't have much experience fighting Imagin, do you?" questioned Ryuji.

"So, that is what these demons are called," Devlin noted. "Go on."

"Imagin initially don't have bodies of their own but by making a contract with a person, they can fashion themselves a new body out of images from that person's memories, usually from a fairytale, myth or legend if I'm not mistaken," explained Ryuji. "The contract is fulfilled when Imagin grant their contractors their wish. Of course, it comes with a price."

"Most wishes do," agreed Devlin. "And most wish-granters are tricky."

"Well, these Imagin will usually grant wishes the wrong way but they don't care as long as it is granted, even if it means hurting people," continued Ryuji. "Then, once the contract is completed, they fly to the past by using their contractors as a portal. In the past, they'll destroy everything and this will also affect the present and future."

Devlin looked thoughtful. It would appear that these Imagin were no less a threat than Fangires. They just had different goals but in the end it still meant the endangerment of innocents.

"So, you are saying Ishida-san made a contract with an Imagin?" Devlin inquired.

"It's the only explanation," replied Ryuji. "I suggest you watch her and find out if she'd made any wishes lately."

"We'll watch over her too," added Fangula. "A girl like her should not be harmed!"

"Pyun! Pyun!" Roulette agreed. "We will protect her from the Imagin!"

* * *

Sae sighed dreamily as she twirled a dark red rose in her fingers. True, it hadn't been a real date, but it had come pretty close. She had gone out on the town with a handsome boy who she knew found her attractive. Even if she was playing the tour guide, she admitted that she had fun.

* * *

_So what is there to do around here, Ishida-san?" Devlin asked curiously._

"_Oh, a couple of things," Sae smiled. "Still, just for tonight, could you call me Sae?"_

_Devlin had met up with Sae at a fountain that was a popular place. This fountain was one of the only places that Devlin knew. He was still new in the area and Sae knew it rather well. She had dressed for the occasion with a red blouse and a skirt which ended just above her knees. She wanted to look nice, but not like she was interested. Devlin did have a girlfriend after all._

_Devlin then showed up with his black violin case and a white shirt underneath a black vest with black pants. He was wearing a fedora and had his hair covering his right eye. Sae smiled, still wishing she had someone like him as a boyfriend._

"_I suppose just for today," Devlin smiled. "Now, shall we begin the tour?"_

"_Of course!" Sae smiled. "Just try to keep up!"_

_Sae felt like she was in a happy daze. As much as she reminded herself that it wasn't a date, she couldn't help but feel like it was. She showed off the shopping district to Devlin, pointing out the best places where deals could be found. He seemed especially interested in the bookstores that were there._

_At one point, she showed Devlin the park where there was plenty of space for all sorts of things. She liked the idea of him seeing her as a woman, if only in her fantasies. As she was walking along the path, she didn't notice some sand slip out of her sleeves and drop onto the ground. Devlin spied the substance and raised an eyebrow. Alternate timelines could be odd, but he knew people didn't normally excrete sand in this timeline._

_A few hours later, Sae and Devlin were eating at an outdoor café. Sae was enjoying a sundae while Devlin was content with some tea._

"_So, Amakusa-san," Sae spoke up, "What's your girlfriend like?"_

"_Danielle?" Devlin asked. "Well, she's American; very bright and self-sufficient. I had actually met her when I was taking a trip through the United States. I'm not really sure when it started, but we suddenly ended up in a relationship."_

"_I see," Sae nodded. "I must be honest, I've known you for only a couple of days, but I'm rather…attracted to you."_

"_I'm flattered," Devlin nodded, " but I'm sure you overheard my conversation with a Ryuji that I'm taken."_

"_So why did you accept my offer?" Sae asked._

"_Well, it seemed you needed the company," Devlin answered. "And I find you to be pleasant company. Besides, I would rather have you as a friend than someone secretly pining after me."_

"_I see," Sae nodded. "You have no idea how many boys I've tried to date were either taken or just wanted to be friends."_

"_That's too bad," Devlin sighed. "I was sure that someone like you would have at least had one relationship already."_

"_Nope," Sae frowned. "I've never been in a relationship. I'm really envious of Katsura-san and Saionji-san. I mean, Ryuji and Makoto sound like great guys."_

"_Well, don't believe everything you hear," Devlin grimaced. "Ryuji has something of a temper and Itou was…rather poor at relationships for a while."_

"_How do you know that?" Sae asked in confusion._

"_Ryuji is rather proud of his relationship with Katsura-san and __likes __to tell the story of how they got together," Devlin answered as he sipped his tea. "It's really a lengthy and complicated story."_

"_Bet it's romantic though," Sae sighed wistfully._

"_That's…one word for it," Devlin nodded._

"_So, I suppose this night is going to end?" Sae frowned. _

"_Well, I do have one thing to thank you with," Devlin smiled. Hefting up his case, he showed it to Sae. He opened it up and Sae watched as he took out the most beautiful violin she'd ever seen. She gasped when she realized what he was about to do. With a wink, he stood up and said, "This is for you, Sae Ishido." He then played a song for her on his violin._

* * *

The night had ended wonderfully. Devlin had been nothing less than a complete gentleman. He was also so romantic. They'd talked about many things and she was surprised that he wanted to be makeup artist and hairstylist one day. She wondered why he didn't want to become a musician. He did indeed have the talent for it. She could still hear piece he'd played for her. It had been a magical song that she would never forget. He'd also given her this rose, telling her that it would bring her luck in the love department. This was her first present from a boy and she would cherish it always. Any girl who got Devlin for a boyfriend would probably be the luckiest and happiest girl in the world.

* * *

The very next day, Ryuji came by Radish again but this time he was joined by Devlin. The younger Rider took a look around and spotted Sae waiting tables. When she saw him, she smiled brightly and gave him a wave. He waved back as he went towards the counter.

The two Riders agreed to watch Sae just incase her Imagin returned. Devlin hadn't been able to ask her if she had wished for anything but got a pretty good idea. She wanted the perfect boyfriend who was also unique. It sounded familiar but he couldn't recall where.

Things still appeared pretty normal and there didn't seem to be any trouble. Ryuji could see some specks of sand falling off Sae, confirming her to be an Imagin contractor. The real question was: where was the Imagin?

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and one of the waitresses screamed as a humanoid decked in Viking-like attire with a walrus head came into the restaurant. It carried a pair of menacing spiked maces and looked vicious. With a roar, it smashed a hole in the wall, shouting, "WHERE IS HE!?"

Devlin's eyes narrowed as he reached into his pocket where his Fang Whistle was. Ryuji also gripped his pass, ready to take down this Walrus Imagin.

The Imagin strode into the restaurant, ignoring the rest of the customers. Its red eyes fell upon Devlin who was sitting on the counter and it knew that this was its target. Its contractor wanted the obstacle to his love-life to be eliminated and that was what it was going to do. It roared and charged straight for Devlin whose back was facing it.

"WATCH OUT!" shouted Sae.

The mace came down and destroyed the seat but not the sitter. Devlin had managed to avoid the fatal death strike by slipping around the Imagin, quickly and fluidly. The Imagin spun around to knock Devlin's head off his shoulders but the boy ducked from the swing, holding his hat onto his head. Devlin backed away but his face showed no fear. Instead, he had his eye narrowed and smirking. "Come and get me," he challenged and ran out the door with the Walrus Imagin giving chase.

* * *

Devlin ran as the Walrus Imagin went after him. The teen Rider had to find a safe place to fight, someplace without any people. He couldn't risk anybody getting hurt. When he reached an empty construction site, he smirked in satisfaction. This was where they would fight. He spun around and saw the Imagin glaring straight at him.

"So, this is where you wish to die," said the Walrus Imagin. "OK."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in dying," said Devlin as he took the Fang Whistle out of his pocket. He was about to blow into it when he heard a loud yell.

"STOP!"

Devlin looked to see who'd shouted and saw a guy running towards them and then standing between him and the Imagin.

"Move aside," the Walrus Imagin ordered. "Isn't this what you want?"

"I didn't want you to kill him," said Shiro. He turned to look at Devlin. "Sorry about this, it's just because…"

"You like Sae," finished Devlin. Shiro nodded.

"Move aside," the Walrus Imagin ordered, "I may need you alive, but that doesn't mean I can't hurt you."

"Sir, please move," said Devlin. "Run."

"No way!" Shiro said firmly. "I'm not running away from this."

"Amakusa-san!" they heard a female shout and both boys could see Sae running towards them. She must've followed them.

"Sae! Don't come any closer!" shouted Devlin.

"Sae-san, run away, please!" shouted Shiro. Sae recognized him. He always came into Radish but never looked at her.

"So, this is the woman you wanted?" the Walrus Imagin snorted, "Well, let's see how you like her when she's dead!" The Walrus Imagin hurled one of its maces at Sae who screamed. Suddenly the made was knocked aside as a familiar figure stood protectively in front of Sae.

"Not going to let you hurt her until I finish my contract!" laughed the Puppet Imagin as it gripped its hammer. Devlin eye narrowed. He knew it was too good to be true. "I still need her!"

"Don't get in my way!" roared the Walrus Imagin.

Devlin told Shiro, "Take Sae and run!"

"What about you?" Shiro questioned.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Shiro hesitated and nodded before he ran towards Sae and took her hand, leading her away.

The two Imagin argued back and forth but soon reached a conclusion. "You know, there is a way we can fulfill both our contracts," said the Walrus Imagin. "Your contractor wants a unique boyfriend and mine wants him eliminated. So, wouldn't a dead boyfriend be unique enough?"

"Of course! Nee-chan never said he had to be alive!" giggled the Puppet Imagin insanely. "Let's do this!"

"Oh, great," muttered Devlin. It would've been nice if the two Imagin had tried to kill each other instead. He called, "Fangula!" before blowing the whistle.

"OK!" shouted Fangula as he came flying down. Devlin grabbed his partner and pressed him against his free hand, allowing him to bite down and inject the Demon Emperor Power, thus causing the markings and the belt to appear.

"Henshin!" Devlin called before snapping Fangula to the belt

"_Wake Up!_" called out Fangula, allowing the chains to engulf the boy's body. The chains shattered and in place of Devlin Amakusa was Masked Rider Fang.

The two Imagin started their attack and swung their weapons at him. Fang couldn't find an opening to launch a proper counter attack as the two Imagin worked together to kill him. The Walrus Imagin smashed him into some wooden planks and then the Puppet Imagin came dropping down to crush him with his hammer. Fang rolled out of the way as the Puppet Imagin turned the planks to splinters and laughed as it started to attack Fang again along with the Walrus Imagin.

The Walrus Imagin managed to grab Fang from behind, trapping him in a bear hug. He struggled against the Imagin but couldn't move. The Puppet Imagin then stalked towards him, hammer ready to pulverize him.

"Bye bye," the Puppet Imagin said cruelly as it raised up its hammer. All of a sudden, another figure entered the fight before the finishing blow could be dealt. The figure slashed at the Puppet Imagin with his swords and Fang got out of the Walrus Imagin's grip by smashing the back of his head against its face. The Walrus Imagin howled in pain from the hit and let go of Fang who then kicked the Imagin in the stomach.

"Sorry," apologized Ifrit. "Did I come too late?"

"You're just in time," responded Fang.

"Let's finish this," said Ifrit, summoning Loki's contract ticket as he banished his swords. Fang too summoned additional help.

"Loki!" called Ifrit.

"Roulette!" called Fang.

"I'm here!" Loki appeared in a flash of light, hearing Ifrit's call and stood before him. The Puppet Imagin recovered and then charged straight for Ifrit. Ifrit swiped the ticket over his belt in response.

"**LOKI FORM!**"

"Tadaa!!" cheered Roulette as he flew around Fang. He had been close by to hear his master's call for help. "Looks like it's time for me to shine! Tension Fortissimo!" The golden dragon flew across Fang's chest and broke the chains, freeing the wings and unleashing the swarm of golden bats. Roulette then connected to Fang's left forearm, shouting out, "_FINAL WAKE UP!_"

The transformations were instantaneous. Loki combined with Ifrit, turning his armor red and bodysuit black with blue eyepieces on his visor and a cape hanging from his back. The golden bats returned to Fang and engulfed him, causing him to glow gold before the light dispersed and revealed him in his golden Demon Emperor Form.

His Demon Emperor Form possessed the same black bodysuit but now he was adorned in golden armor. He had golden gauntlets and boots and matching torso armor with spiked shoulders and a red chestplate that resembled demon wings and had three green gems running down the middle. His helmet's visor gained a white trim and his mouthplate became pitch black. A crescent moon ornament adorned his forehead. The final piece of his ensemble was the red cape which hung from his back, giving him a more regal look, just like a king.

The two Imagin exchanged glances before attacking. Ifrit summoned his Loki Slicer and pressed the button on his belt. "**FULL CHARGE!**"

Fang didn't even give the Walrus Imagin a chance. He attacked mercilessly with snap kicks that caused sparks to explode off the Imagin's body. The kicks slammed into the Imagin's stomach, chest and face. Fang then used a roundhouse that caused the Imagin to stagger and then performed a side kick that sent it sailing into the support beams. Fang then brought up Roulette and tugged at his head.

"_WAKE UP FEVER!!_" A red aura flared up around Fang.

The Puppet Imagin was cut down immediately by Ifrit's attack as the Rider sliced it up in four pieces with a downward vertical slash and a horizontal slash from the right. It screamed and exploded.

The Walrus Imagin was too defeated as Fang executed a variation of the, "_IMPERIAL MOON BREAK!_" Fang performed a roundhouse with an energy blade attached to his leg. The blade cut through the Walrus Imagin and the monster exploded from the attack. The energy around Fang faded as he looked upon the blaze before turning away and walking towards his ally.

"I'm glad that's over," said Fang.

"**Heads up, because it's not over yet**," said Ifrit cautiously

"Huh?"

"**Look.**"

Ifrit and Fang both watched as the remains of the two Imagin they'd defeated suddenly collected together and then expanded, reforming in two giant beasts that were known collectively as Gigandeaths. One resembled a black and red cat-like creature with large muscles, razor sharp teeth and horns. This was the Gigandeath Hell. The second one looked like a bastardized amalgam of three different flying animals. It had the skull of a bird for a head, the body of a wasp, the right wing of a bird and the left wing of a bat. This was the Gigandeath Heaven.

"Well, at least Imagin and Fangires have this in common," muttered Fang, recalling how Fangires would turn into giant Sabbats. The Hell roared as the Heaven screeched before they started attacking the city.

The ChronoLiner, at Ifrit's command, pulled up beside the two Riders. As Ifrit boarded his time train, he asked Fang, "**You coming?**"

"No," declined Fang, showing Ifrit a draconic looking whistle, "I got it covered."

Ifrit gave a nod and entered his train to take his place on the bike on the cockpit. He gripped the handlebars and shouted, "**OK, you bastards, let's play!**"

Outside the ChronoLiner, Fang tossed the whistle into the air. Fangula flew off his perch and grabbed the whistle in his mouth. With a deep breath, the mechanical bat blew, summoning their secret weapon.

The ChronoLiner engaged both Gigandeath, blasting them with its powerful artillery. The Hell roared and spat fireballs that exploded against the time train.

"**Kuso!**" cursed Ifrit. "**Amakusa, what the hell is taking you so long!?**"

The Hell continued its barrage as the Heaven fired at the train with its stingers. It would never run out of those flying spikes which scraped across the surface of the train. They were like harpoons and would've pierced right through if not for the train's superior armored plating.

Suddenly, the Heaven and Hell were taken by surprise as a gigantic dragon decked in a castle for armor rammed into the two of them straight out of nowhere. The dragon roared and blasted at the two monsters with its own barrage of fireballs.

Ifrit wasn't surprised to see the dragon. He'd seen it before when he used to be a part of Ryuki. He could see that Fang was standing atop the castle's clock tower, arms spread out and his cape flowing behind him.

"**Hmph**," snorted Ifrit. "**Show off**."

The Great Dragoon took to the air with a powerful roar to engage the Heaven as the ChronoLiner opened fire upon the Hell once more. Both train and dragon possessed extreme firepower, quite literally for the dragon. Together, they made short work of both monstrous beasts.

Fang maintained his balanced upon his dragon's back as it dodged to avoid the Heaven's hailstorm of stingers. The Great Dragoon retaliated with a barrage of fireballs, causing the Gigandeath to screech in pain from the explosions erupting all over its body.

Meanwhile, Ifrit was circling the Hell and blasting it continuously with lasers and missiles along with a bombardment of bombs.

Fang decided to end the battle and tugged on Roulette's head. "_WAKE UP FEVER!!_" The sky darkened and became night with a blood red full moon in the background. Fang's eyes were completely focused on the Heaven before launching himself into the air to execute his attack.

Ifrit too decided to end his fight as well and completely annihilated the Hell with a powerful laser blast from its laser turrets. It roared and was no more as Ifrit obliterated it.

Fang came down upon the Heaven and, despite their differences in size, was able to destroy it with his, "_IMPERIAL MOON BREAK!!_" attack. The Heaven, like its brethren, exploded fantastically in the air as Fang landed back upon his dragon, watching the fireworks as the sky turned back to normal.

* * *

The next day at Radish, Miyako came by to show both Ryuji and Kotonoha the front page of the day's paper. "Take a look at this." The headline read: 'Double Rider Power. Who is the other Rider and where did he get his dragon?' It had a picture of Fang on the Great Dragoon battling the Gigandeath along with the ChronoLiner.

"So?" Ryuji didn't seem to get the point. The three of them were seated at a table. Kotonoha sat beside her boyfriend as Miyako sat across from them. Kotonoha was on break.

"The next issue is coming up and I need a great story! The last one when I interviewed Ifrit was great, but I need another one. So, can you help me find out who the other Riders is?" Miyako said.

"Sorry, Serizawa," Ryuji insincerely apologized. "I can't help you with that. All I can tell you is that he's called Fang."

"Darn," she grumbled. At least she got a name. That was not enough but it was a start.

"Well, at least one good thing came out of it," Kotonoha said as she pointed over to where Sae and Shiro were talking. Sae was taking the day off and was sitting across from Shiro at one of the tables. Both had a slight flush to their faces, but the happy grins were unmistakable. "I'm glad Ishida-san finally found love."

"Those two look great together," admitted Ryuji with a smile. Nothing brought people together like a crisis.

"Well, my break is over," said Kotonoha as she stood up. "I'll see you later." With that, Ryuji watched her leave and couldn't take his eyes off her rear when she swayed her hips. Miyako grinned and Ryuji caught the look the older woman was giving him.

"What? I'm a guy. I appreciate pretty things," Ryuji defended. The bell at the door rang as another familiar face entered. "And here he comes."

Devlin was greeted by one of the waitresses but declined to be led to a table, stating that he was coming to meet a friend.

"Hello, Ryuji," Devlin greeted warmly. He turned to look at Miyako curiously. "Who is this?"

"Miyako Serizawa from Sakakino Star Magazine," Miyako grinned as she handed over a business card. "Are you a friend of Ryuji's? The mysterious Fang perhaps?" She was just making guesses here.

"Oi! Serizawa!" Ryuji snapped.

Devlin just chuckled, "Well, I'm not really sure there's a point in denying it. So yes, I am Fang."

"All right!" Miyako grinned ecstatically. She instantly whipped her notepad and a pencil out. "Do you think I could bother you for an interview?

"Sadly, no," Devlin answered. "I'm afraid that Fang's appearance here is going to be a one-time thing only. I'm just here on vacation."

"What?" Miyako frowned. "But...there's still so much people want to know! Can't you at least give us an insight into the last fight?"

"Sorry, but as cliché as this sounds, I can only say 'No Comment'."

Ryuji nearly laughed when he saw the dumbfounded look on Miyako's face. She could not believe anybody would just decline an interview like that. She should just grow used to it, though. Riders, by nature, were a secretive bunch.

Devlin looked over towards Sae and Shiro and smiled as he saw the couple. It would appear that he'd done them a favor. Shiro and Sae looked happy together and Devlin was satisfied with the results. He'd helped a beautiful maiden find love.

* * *

Ryuji was waiting for Kotonoha in her living room. Tonight, she and he were going out on a date but Devlin ended up making a surprise visit. As usual, her folks were working late but Kokoro was still around and sitting close to her beloved Ryuji-niichan, beaming with a pink tint on her cheeks as she hugged his arm. Ryuji was dressed in a navy buttoned down shirt and matching slacks. His hair was combed and braided for a change.

Devlin, as soon as he saw Kotonoha in her beautiful red dress, swept her away to her room because he wanted to give her a quick makeover. That had been 15 minutes ago.

Devlin walked down the stairs, grinning, and said, "Presenting, the new and improved, Kotonoha Katsura!" He clapped. Ryuji often wondered if Devlin was gay. He sure acted like it.

When Kotonoha came downstairs, Ryuji's breath got caught in his throat. She looked absolutely stunning. The thin layer of makeup applied to her face really brought out her beauty. She had wore some eye shadow to accentuate her eyes, some light blush that made her cheeks sparkle, and the light red lipstick contrasted well with her pale skin. He had to admit that Devlin did excellent work.

"Onee-chan, you look like a princess!" Kokoro exclaimed.

"Koto-chan, you look…like an angel," Ryuji said which made the girl in question blush.

"Arigatou, Ryuji-kun," she smiled at him which made him blush a little. "And arigatou to you too, Amakusa-kun."

"It's a personal code of mine to beautify the world, one flower at a time," Devlin declared. "And Miss Katsura has finally bloomed, like a rose." Kotonoha's hair had been done up with a clip and she wore a beautiful red rose in it to match her dress, which had thin spaghetti straps and came down to just above her knees. She also carried a handbag and wore the ring he'd given her for Valentine's Day. "Now, you two kids have fun. I'll be happy to baby sit Kokoro-chan for you."

"I'm not a baby!" the little girl frowned. A white aura then surrounded her as a figure stepped out from her body.

"And she already has a guardian," stated Eros, "Yours truly."

"And me," added Athena as she came out of Kotonoha. She turned towards her mistress and smiled. "Lady Kotonoha, you look simply stunning."

"Well, it looks like I'm not needed anymore, so I'll be off then." Devlin put on his hat and headed for the door with his makeup case. "Bye."

"Come on, Koto-chan," Ryuji winked, "Our chariot awaits." He didn't have a car, and his bike was out of the question, so they were going to use the ChronoLiner to get to the restaurant. She looped her arm around his before he led towards the door.

* * *

"Nuts," Miyako sighed as she walked to her car. Her office hours were over and she needed to get her last articles together for the next publication. She had wanted an article on Fang, but that wasn't looking good at the moment. "The best stories in the country and I can't report them."

Heading out to her car, she noticed an odd character leaning on it while reading a scroll. He was dressed up like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, complete with the top hat. His hair was dirty blonde and he had a pointed nose.

"Uh…can I help you?" Miyako asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh, hello, Miss Serizawa," the young man grinned as he looked up from his scroll. Rolling it up, he stuck it in his coat before turning to her. "Actually, I was hoping I could help you."

"Oh yeah?" Miyako sighed. "What do you have that can help me?"

"Several things," the young man shrugged. "However, what I am offering is information on Fang. Interested?"

Topper hadn't even blinked before Miyako was in front of him, gripping the lapels of his coat. She was shaking him, threatening to knock the hat off his head while shouting, "What?! You had better not be joking!"

"I am not joking," the young man grinned as he released himself from the reporter's hands. Reaching up for his hat, he pulled it off before pulling out a brown envelope. "Right here is all the information you'll need for your article."

"Gimmie!" Miyako shouted like a child, reaching for the envelope.

"Ah, ah ah!" the young man chided as he pulled the envelope back. "This information doesn't come free."

"Name your price!" Miyako cried.

The young man grinned. Those were his favorite words.


	9. Hawaiian Holiday

Both Kotonoha and Ryuji were stuck in school because they'd been too busy cleaning up their classroom. Ryuji had been grumbling about it since it was only a day before the break would start and he had managed to avoid getting classroom cleanup duty until this point. Of all the days for the teacher to get some guts. The weather wasn't helping his mood either. It was raining heavily outside and it looked like it was going to turn into a storm.

"Looks like we won't be getting home anytime soon," said Kotonoha. She noticed that he was silent. "Ryuji-kun?"

He was looking a little uncomfortable as he looked outside the window. His eyes were on the dark clouds. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning followed by a boom of thunder. The entire room became bathed in darkness when the entire room blacked out.

Kotonoha felt scared and then turned to look where Ryuji had been standing to find him gone. She panicked and looked around, her hands against her chest where her heart was. "Ryuji-kun, where are you?" She heard something in the corner and went to check it out. There she saw Ryuji, sitting on the floor near a corner with his knees pulled up against his chest, his head tucked in and his hands over his ears. '_Something's wrong_,' Kotonoha realized as she slowly and carefully approached the boy. '_He looks scared_.' She knelt down in front of him and reached over with her hand to touch his arm. He froze at the contact and she recoiled for a second before reaching out to him, her hands on his arms. He looked up at her with an emotion he rarely showed in his eyes. It was fear.

"Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?" she asked. He remained silent. "Ryuji-kun, please talk to me." He muttered something. "What was that?"

He repeated more clearly, averting his eyes from her. "You must think I'm really pathetic right now."

"Why would I think that?" she asked. She wanted him to look at her but still he avoided eye contact.

"Look at me," he shut his eyes. "I'm used to fighting monsters. I fight for a living. But when it comes to thunderstorms-" Another strike of lighting followed by booming thunder caused him to become silent and tuck his head back in.

"You're afraid," she concluded. His silence answered for her. She never knew him to ever be afraid of anything. He was brave and strong. Seeing him so…vulnerable was rare. "You don't like thunderstorms."

"Not really the storm," he told her. "I can handle the rain, and the lightning. It's just-"

FLASH!

BOOM!

He screwed his eyes shut in response and pressed his hands against his ears tightly to drown out the sound. He finished, "It's the thunder."

"Why the thunder?" she asked him. He released his grip from his ears and looked away again, holding his legs.

"Ryuki always had sharp hearing, even as a kid, so his hearing is pretty sensitive. He can literally hear a pin drop from a few yards away if he focused hard enough. This was both a blessing and a curse." He sighed. "Thunderstorms are the worst when you have sharp hearing. The loud booming hurts the ears and well Ryuki turned out to become afraid of it." He finished, "Since I used to be a part of him, I also have the same fear. That's why…I must look pathetic, huh?"

"No," she answered. He was surprised by her answer and then he felt her hold his head and pull him into her chest, her chin resting atop his head as she stroked her hair. "That just means you're human."

"Koto-chan…" he whispered as his face was pressed against her soft bosom. '_Just like mom…_' He closed his eyes as she started to hum a soft tune. Whatever it was, the humming seemed to drown out the sound of thunder. He began to relax and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

"Ryuji-kun, wake up. The storm's over," Kotonoha said as Ryuji slowly opened his eyes to see that he was looking up at her smiling face. His head was on her lap, her thighs acting as soft pillow, as he slept through the storm. She had stroked his hair the whole time. Embarrassed by the position, he slowly sat up but didn't dare to face her. "Ryuji-kun?"

"Arigatou, Koto-chan," he said with a blush. She smiled warmly and then scooted over to him before wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing herself against his back. "Koto-chan, nani?"

"Whenever you need someone to help you relax doing a storm, just come to me. I'll be there for you like you've always been there for me," she told him. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at her face. She pulled herself to his face and both of them shared a kiss.

Maybe thunderstorms weren't so bad after all.

* * *

**"HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY!"**

* * *

With Kotonoha's connections, the group of friends was able to catch a free trip to Hawaii. This was like a dream come true for most of them who'd never even been out of Japan. The white sandy beaches, the wide blue ocean, and the bright shining sun were too good to pass up. This was how they were going to spend their last week of spring break together.

Kotonoha was playing some beach volleyball with Sekai, Nanami and Hikari. Ryuji's girlfriend was paired up with Makoto's own girlfriend. Otome was busy sunbathing on a blanket, Makoto was sleeping on a blanket under and umbrella while Taisuke was enjoying the 'view'. By view, I meant he was looking at all the bikini-clad girls. Ryuji was sitting in a deck chair, relaxing with a cool can of strawberry soda as he watched his girlfriend in that sexy little bikini. Her breasts bounced around as she jumped up to send the beach ball back to Nanami. Ryuji was wearing a pair of black swimming trunks with blue flames on them. Taisuke had on a horrid looking red pair of Speedos. Makoto just had on some plain blue trunks. The girls were all dressed in the same bikinis they'd worn to the swimming pool that one time.

Kenzaki and Neko had also shown up to join them. Kenzaki actually looked normal and when Taisuke started to say something, he got an intense glare as a warning for him to shut up. He even received a verbal warning, "Say anything and you'll get a repeat of what happened back at the onsen." Kenzaki was actually wearing some sort of waterproof body paint to cover his metallic colored skin. He still looked like he had claws, though. He just sat against a tree, watching as Neko had fun.

"WOOHOO!" shouted Neko cheerfully as she rode a jet-ski. "This is awesome!" She was wearing a sexy little one piece with sections on the sides cut out and a diamond cut around the stomach. She had her hair in free and it flowed behind her.

"This is the life," said Ryuji as he watched Kotonoha smiling. That smile reminded him why he even bothered to become this world's Rider and protect its Present, Past and Future. He took a sip of soda. He loved the taste of strawberries. It reminded him of Kotonoha's lips.

"Enjoying the view?" asked Kenzaki as he walked up to his fellow Rider.

"Sure am," said Ryuji as he looked at his girlfriend's figure. "And I'm glad Neko-nee is having fun."

"HEY, LOOK! NO HANDS!" shouted Neko as they watched her race by in the water. She had her arms spread to the side and a smile spread on her face.

"We all needed this vacation," said Kenzaki. "I mean after all the stuff that's been going on…"

"Which reminds me, have you gotten a lead on the bastard who screwed up with my mind?" asked Ryuji. He was referring to Nanimo, who he knew was Kenzaki's brother. That had strained their working relationship a little, but Ryuji eventually got over it…by kicking Kenzaki's butt off a moving train. At least Ryuji wasn't swearing eternal revenge upon Kenzaki. Nanimo had now earned the spot at the top of Ryuji's 'list'. It was a list of things that Ryuji didn't like and hated with a passion. Sekai's name had already been crossed out along with Otome's. Taisuke and Makoto's name were still in it but they'd been move somewhere close to the bottom.

"We know he's still in this world, but not exactly sure where," Kenzaki answered with a frown.

"So I can kick his ass then," Ryuji smirked. "Good. I owe him for that brain control stunt he pulled."

A cheer came from the volleyball game to show Nanami and Hikari giving each other a high five. Sekai and Kotonoha were panting from the exertion with the volleyball stuck in the sand of their side of the court. From the looks of things, Nanami and Hikari had scored a point.

"You know, it's a little unfair that you have the tallest girl in the class on your side!" Sekai huffed. "We're getting creamed!"

"Well, that's just good thinking!" Hikari giggled. She patted Nanami's shoulder with a smile.

"And I believe that last point won us the game," Nanami smiled. "Now it's time to pay up."

"Humph!" Sekai pouted. "Wagering snacks doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore."

"We promised, Saionji-san," Kotonoha admonished with a smile.

Almost everyone had come with a cooler filled with treats which would be perfect for a beach trip. Kotonoha and Ryuji brought ice cream sandwiches made by Loki, Sekai and Makoto brought ice cream from Radish, while Nanami, Hikari brought a cooler of popsicles. Sekai and Kotonoha had wagered some of their snacks against Nanami and Hikari's.

"Okay," Sekai nodded as she grabbed her cooler. Reaching inside, she pulled out two paper dishes filled with ice cream. Kotonoha had grabbed two ice cream sandwiches before passing them to the victors.

"Whee!" Hikari giggled as she took the treats.

"You like sweets too much," Nanami sighed as she dug into her ice cream sandwich, "And for good reason. Mmmm."

Over with Otome, she was still lounging in the sun on her stomach with her top undone so to avoid tan lines. Taisuke had ogled her several times, but she didn't notice. She was too busy reading the newest addition of the Sakakino Star. It was becoming THE source of all things Ifrit related ever since they managed to get an interview from the armored hero. She even had the article taped to her wall.

"What are you reading, Katou?" asked Makoto, spotting how engrossed his friend was in the magazine she was reading.

"Newest info about the Kamen Riders," Otome answered. "It's about that new one, Fang. He's only shown up a couple of times, but this article is really good. Very informative."

"What about Wraith? Have they finally printed something on him?" asked a voice. Everyone looked up and saw Warren Smith standing there with a large smile on his face. Grasping onto his index finger with her tiny hand was Tessa. He wore a pair of black swim trunks and still had his shades on. Tessa wore a white swimsuit and water wings. "He's obviously the best."

"Oh, you mean that skull guy?" asked Otome. "Well, he doesn't show much as often so there's not much info on him. He looks cool, though." Tessa beamed as she heard this, proud of her daddy for being a hero.

Nanami watched as Kotonoha went to Ryuji and then sat down on his lap. She was surprised at how much Kotonoha had changed. She used to be a little shy to show affection but she was openly displaying it to Ryuji, her boyfriend. Originally, she never though that Ryuji was right for Kotonoha. He was too much of a badass for a sweet girl like Kotonoha but she'd defended him saying that she already knew him at a deeper level. Nanami had found out what it was a day before spring break began.

* * *

_Nanami had been watching the clouds all day since she had club activities after school. The weather report had said that rain was coming, but she had been hoping that it would hold off until the end of the school day. Sadly, her luck didn't hold out and it started to rain when the school day ended. Despite her club being held indoors, Nanami didn't want to be caught outside in the mess. Even worse, she had left her umbrella in her desk. _

"_It's just doesn't pay to be me today," the tall young woman sighed as she walked through the halls._

_She was getting close to her class when she heard someone moving. Becoming curious, she followed the source of the noise until she found a classroom. If she recalled, it was Kotonoha's classroom. Daring a peek inside, she saw that both Kotonoha and Ryuji were stuck on classroom cleanup duty. Shrugging, she turned to head to her classroom for her umbrella when…_

_BOOM!_

_The power went out in a flash, but Nanami quickly recovered. She looked back to the classroom to see if her friend and her boyfriend were okay. To her surprise, Ryuji was nowhere to be seen._

'_How could he move that fast?' Nanami thought to herself in surprise._

_Eyeing the events, she almost gasped in surprise when she spotted Ryuji huddled in the corner. Kotonoha was instantly at his side and talking softly to him. Nanami couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could understand the gist of what was happening in front of her._

_Ryuji Hasuma, the biggest badass in the entire school, was afraid of thunder._

_Naturally, Nanami was a little surprised at the little discovery she just made. She would never have expected someone like Ryuji to be afraid of something like that. Then again, everyone was afraid of something. She had just never considered that he would be scared of something as little as thunder. It definitely didn't fit into the personality that she had pegged him to possessing._

_The couple conversed a little more before it seemed that Ryuji had fallen asleep in Kotonoha's chest. Nanami could only smile softly at the romance at the situation. Deciding that she had seen enough, Nanami turned to head to her classroom. Unfortunately, her shoes were wet and made a squeaking noise as she moved them against the floor._

"_Who's there?" Kotonoha asked softly, so not to wake her boyfriend. _

_Knowing it was better to just bite the bullet__**;**__ Nanami quietly slid the door open and stepped inside. "Yo," she greeted._

_Kotonoha blinked in surprise before she spoke, "Kanroji-san? What are you doing here?"_

"_I was getting my umbrella when I heard you and Hasuma," Nanami answered with a whisper. "I was a little surprised to see him like this."_

"_Yes, he's like this sometimes," Kotonoha smiled. "Could you please keep this a secret? Ryuji-kun doesn't open up to others and…"_

"_I can keep a secret," Nanami smiled. "I'm surprised though. I mean he always makes himself look like a tough guy and thunderstorms freak him out?"_

"_That just means he's more than he seems," Kotonoha defended. "He sees it as a weakness, so don't tell anyone, please?"_

"_I promise," Nanami said with a hand raised. "At least this shows he has a vulnerable side. I always thought he was fearless by the way he acted."_

"_We're all afraid of something," Kotonoha stated. "Even small things can be extremely frightening to others."_

_Nanami nodded in agreement. "So, I've been curious about something," said Nanami. "I mean I know you told us at the onsen but what really made you fall for Hasuma here? Be honest though, is this part of the reason you fell for him? I mean, usually he's…"_

"_Abrasive?" Kotonoha suggested. "Well, I used to think so too, before I got to know him better."_

_Nanami listened intently. She had known that Kotonoha started going out with Ryuji after she broke up with Makoto during the festival. Sekai was a little vague about it, but Nanami knew there was a story behind it all._

"_When Makoto-kun broke up with me…I was very depressed," Kotonoha sighed as she looked lovingly at her sleeping boyfriend. "I guess you could have called me inconsolable. I was so sure Makoto-kun and I were doing well, but then to suddenly find out he wanted to break up was a bit of a shock."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry," Nanami frowned. "That must have been hard. Sekai mentioned it was your first relationship."_

"_It's okay," Kotonoha smiled. "One day I was crying over it when Ryuji-kun found me. He hates to see girls cry so he went to comfort me. He asked me what was wrong and I told him everything. He walked me all the way home to make sure I got there safely."_

_Nanami was understandably surprised at Kotonoha's explanation of events. She knew that it was possible for Ryuji to be nice, but to hear how he was such a gentleman for Kotonoha in her time of need was a surprise. She was lucky someone like Ryuji found her, rather than a guy like Taisuke who was desperate enough to try and take advantage of the situation._

"_So what happened next?" asked Nanami._

"_Well, after that, Ryuji-kun would always meet up with me during the day to see how I was doing," Kotonoha smiled. "Back when Katou-san and her friends would bully me, Ryuji-kun would scare them off. We eventually became friends."_

"_So when did you two start dating?" asked Nanami. "I mean, I assume it was during the festival."_

"_Yes," Kotonoha sighed dreamily. "It was during the bonfire dance. I realized just how nice it was to be in his arms. I wanted to be sure though, so I asked him to kiss me. It felt like I was floating on air. I didn't even think about how depressed I was or about Makoto-kun and Saionji-san being together."_

"_Wow," Nanami smiled. If that wasn't romantic then she didn't know what was. Still, there was something she wanted to know. "Um…could I ask you something else?"_

"_Of course," Kotonoha nodded._

"_That day on the festival, some students found Sawanaga all beaten up," Nanami explained. "He mentioned Hasuma did that to him. Why would Hasuma do that?"_

"_Um," Kotonoha frowned slightly. "Sawanaga-san…got Ryuji-kun angry."_

"_That's a given," Nanami sighed. "Hasuma is always angry at something. What I want to know is what got him mad enough to pummel Sawanaga like that. Despite his attitude, Hasuma doesn't pick fights for no reason."_

"_Um…Sawanaga-san had confessed to me that day on the festival," Kotonoha explained hesitantly. "He…was more than a little forward too. Ryuji-kun found us and thought he wanted to hurt me. He got angry after that."_

_Nanami frowned slightly at the explanation. She had known both Taisuke and Ryuji for a while. It was no secret that they both liked Kotonoha, but after getting to know Ryuji, Nanami knew he wasn't the kind of guy who would pummel someone just to make sure he wouldn't try to take Kotonoha. She also knew that when it came to girls, __Taisuke__ could be downright desperate. It was a little sad considering how Hikari was attracted to the guy._

_Kotonoha was hiding something, Nanami could tell that much. There was something she wasn't telling but Nanami didn't want to pry. She looked at Ryuji's face to see his usual hard expression replaced by a serene one. He did look kinda cute._

* * *

Hikari dug into her ice cream with a bright smile. She loved treats out on the beach, especially the sweet kind. They even tasted better when they were earned from the heat of battle. Winning the volleyball match was a great victory for her. Ice cream sandwiches were even better.

Looking to her friends, she saw Kotonoha snuggled in Ryuji's lap with a content smile on her face. As much as she tried to rationalize it, she just couldn't figure out just how someone so kind and gentle like Kotonoha could end up with someone so loud and violent like Ryuji. At first she was concerned for her friend's safety. Ryuji had a pretty bad reputation with him and she thought Kotonoha was at risk.

Of course, that opinion began to change, especially after something she'd overheard at the airport.

* * *

_The group of friends was waiting in the airport for their flight. Kotonoha had called them all and said that her parents had offered to let them use their Hawaiian beach house for the rest of their break. Apparently, Kotonoha had done well in all her subjects and this was her parents' way of rewarding her. The group certainly wasn't complaining as they got their things together. No parents were going to be there either so they would be on their own._

_Hikari was gossiping with the other girls about what they were going to do when she heard Ryuji talking. Turning, she spotted him dragging Makoto and Taisuke away from the rest of the group and into the men's washroom. Hikari had a huge crush on Taisuke for some time now and knew all too well about the beat down he'd received during the school festival. She also knew Ryuji had done it. She would rather be caught dead than let it happen again. Maybe if she rescued Taisuke, he would finally ask her out on a date._

_Following the trio, she slipped inside the men's washroom to try and get a handle of the situation. Hiding behind a stall, she concentrated on what the boys were saying._

"_What do you want, Hasuma?" she heard Taisuke cry out. "We didn't do anything!"_

"_Exactly," Ryuji snorted. "And I am making sure that it stays that way."_

"_H-h-how do you plan to do that?" Makoto trembled._

"_I'm just going to set some ground rules," Ryuji spoke. "Both of you are not going to do anything inappropriate to Koto-chan, say anything sleazy, or even look at her in a perverted way."_

_Hikari frowned. Just who did Ryuji think he was? Did he think he owned Kotonoha or something? Why would he try to stop her from talking to the boys? There was nothing wrong with that! Sure, being polite was one thing, but restricting contact? That was just cruel. Wait until she told Kotonoha about this!_

"_I know that!" Makoto cried. "I'm not going to cheat on Sekai!"_

"_Well you were sure quick to cheat on Koto-chan at the first sight of another girl showing interest in you!" Ryuji snapped._

"_WHAT?" Taisuke and Hikari cried at the same time._

"_Hey, Sawanaga, I kick you in the nuts too many times?" asked Ryuji. "Your voice sounded a little high."_

"_My voice is just fine! That isn't the issue though!" Taisuke snapped. "Makoto! How could you cheat on such a hottie like Katsura-san? You wanted to have two girls or something?"_

"_Don't get high and mighty," Ryuji growled. "Not after what I saw you try to do to Koto-chan during the school festival!"_

"_Huh?" asked Makoto. "Taisuke, what did you try to do?"_

"_I was just trying to convey my feelings to Katsura," Taisuke mumbled._

"_And I suppose pinning to the wall and force her to kiss you was part of it?" Ryuji snorted. "At least Itou respects women as more than breasts with legs."_

_Hikari gasped. This couldn't be true, could it? She didn't hear Taisuke denying it._

"_The point I'm making is this," Ryuji said firmly, "You do anything, anything at all, to hurt Koto-chan or any of the girls, __and__ you'll answer to me." He cracked his knuckles to emphasize his point. "Do I make myself clear?" The two boys nodded. Ryuji smirked. "Good, now let's get going. They are waiting for us." Makoto and Taisuke were the first to leave, walking quickly in fear. When he was sure he was alone, Ryuji said, "You do know this is the men's room, right, Kuroda?" Hikari gasped. "Just get out of here." He then walked out of the washroom._

* * *

Hikari was still a little muddled as she recalled that conversation. It certainly explained why Ryuji was so mean to Makoto and Taisuke. He was making sure they couldn't hurt Kotonoha anymore. Still, she just couldn't believe that Makoto would cheat on someone like Kotonoha. She was so gentle and kind! Wasn't she good enough? Did Sekai know what her boyfriend did before they started going out? And then there was Taisuke. Was he really so desperate for a relationship with a girl that he tried to get together with Kotonoha by force? She just couldn't see it…but the way Taisuke didn't even try to defend himself…

"Something wrong, Hikari?" Nanami asked. "You've been quiet."

"Huh?" Hikari blinked as she looked up to her tall friend. "Oh, just thinking."

"About what?" asked Nanami as she sat down.

"About Hasuma," Hikari sighed. "He's not what I originally thought. He…really loves Kotonoha, doesn't he?"

"And it's mutual," Nanami smiled. "You can see it when they look at each other."

"Yeah. I'm just a little envious I guess," Hikari sighed. "I wish I had a boyfriend who would care about me like he does for her."

"Well, what about Sawanaga?" asked Nanami. "You have been crushing on him for a while."

"I…don't know anymore," Hikari sighed. "I think I saw a side if him I didn't like."

"What do you mean?" Nanami asked. She was starting to dislike the sound of the conversation.

"I shouldn't tell," Hikari frowned. "It didn't even affect me."

"Really?"

"Let's just say that some people can surprise you," Hikari said as she glanced at Ryuji and then to Taisuke, "Some more so that others."

"Are you two both talking about Ryuji?" questioned Warren as he suddenly seemed to sit down next to them, watching his daughter make a sand castle nearby. The girls hadn't even heard him or saw him move to where he was.

"So, what if we were?" Nanami asked, frowning slightly. She still couldn't believe that Warren had lied about his age. He looked so young to have a daughter already but he'd made it believable during his time at the school.

"Well, you gotta understand a few things about Ryuji," pointed Warren out. "He doesn't like people talking about him behind his back for one." He added, "And well, you gotta understand him better if you're going to be talking about him."

"So, you know about why he's so…" Hikari began, but trailed of finding the right word.

"Confrontational?" Warren supplied, "Or do you mean antagonistic, angry, or basically just someone who seems to be in a perpetual bad mood."

"Pretty much," Hikari accepted.

"Well, I've known for a while now and let me tell you that Ryuji has trust issues," Warren began to explain. "A few years back, someone he loved and was dear to him betrayed him and threw everything he ever felt for them in his face. He was lied to and since then has never been able to trust anyone. He didn't even trust his own friends and distanced himself from others. Gaining his trust was difficult but we all managed to at least get him to trust us at some level. However, it would be hard for anybody to gain his full trust at all."

"Until he met Katsura-san," Nanami realized. "You mean the one who betrayed him was…"

"Someone he loved dearly," Warren nodded. "It was a huge blow to him, added that someone whom he cared for had died shortly before. He just couldn't handle it and shut almost everyone out. He kept moving around, not making any connections, until of course when he met Kotonoha. She's the first person he's ever truly given his heart to since that horrible day. The only person he has given his full trust." He finished, "So, now do you think he's such a bad guy or what?"

Nanami and Hikari were stunned by Warren's story. Tessa ran towards her father, shouting, "Daddy! Come look at my sand castle!" She was tugging on his arm. He laughed and stood up to be dragged by his little girl.

"OK, I guess when someone you trusted does that can make you a little pissed off," Nanami said.

"Tell me about it," Hikari replied, looking towards Ryuji and Kotonoha. The girl had fallen asleep against him while still sitting in his lap, his hand stroking her hair as he had his eyes closed, relaxing. In the right light, he did look really good. Those muscles were well toned and chiseled and he had a cute face when he was calm and relaxed. "I guess he really isn't as bad as he seems."

Nanami wanted to know more about Ryuji but after hearing Warren's story, she knew it would take time. Her eyes widened when she saw Neko ride by on her jet-ski, doing a hand stand, and shouting, "THIS IS TOTALLY AWESOME!" at the top of her lungs.

* * *

The group finally headed back to the Hawaiian beach house they were all staying at. Unfortunately, it wasn't because they were tired from all their beach exploits. It was more because Neko had an accident on the jet-ski. In the process of showing off, she'd crashed into a rock. Kenzaki was quick to go get her, but she was already drifting to shore when he got her. She was okay, but Warren diagnosed that she had a concussion and needed rest.

At the moment, Neko was resting in on the couch, waiting for dinner while Kenzaki gave her some painkillers. Makoto and Sekai were seated together on a chair with her in his lap. Hikari and Nanami took the couch while Taisuke was slumped alone in the remaining chair. Kenzaki was seated on the floor next to his girlfriend.

"How you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Feeling good," Neko giggled, "Really good."

"She sounds a little loopy," Hikari frowned.

"The painkillers must be working then," Nanami snickered. She was finding it amusing to see Neko acting so oddly.

Walking into the room, Ryuji brought several bowls of curry that he had whipped up in the kitchen. Setting them down on the table in the centre of the room, he turned to Kenzaki and Neko.

"Feeling better?" he sighed.

"Feeling great, Ifrit-chan!" Neko giggled. "Good stuff!"

Otome walked into the room with a drink in her hands. She was looking down to the loopy Neko and concerned Kenzaki. While it was a little funny in the way she was acting, she didn't laugh. She had gotten hurt and it would tick Kenzaki off if someone laughed at his injured girlfriend.

"Did she just call you 'Ifrit'?" the brunette smiled as she eyed Ryuji.

"She's loopy from the painkillers," Ryuji shrugged. "She's liable to say anything."

"Ken-kun! I want your babies!" Neko suddenly shouted as she began tugging on her boyfriend's arm.

"See?" Ryuji snickered. Seeing Kenzaki's embarrassed blush was definitely something funny to see.

"Point made," Otome nodded. "Besides, I really can't see you as Ifrit. Forgive me for saying, but you really don't fill his shoes."

"No offense taken," Ryuji sighed but there was a slight twitch in his eye at the comment.

"Is anyone hungry?" asked Kotonoha as she brought out a second tray filled with minor sweets and snacks. "Ryuji made curry for us and I have dessert. Dig in if you're hungry."

"Is there anything to drink besides water?" asked Taisuke.

"I think so," Kotonoha answered. "I'll check. I think I saw something."

Turning around, Kotonoha went back into the kitchen. She inspected the cupboards first before heading to the fridge. It was a little bare since the family hadn't been there for a while. Looking to the fridge, she found a couple of bottles that were being kept cold.

"Yebisu?" she blinked while reading the label. "I've never heard of a drink like that." She stared at it, wondering how it tasted. With a shrug, she took one out of the fridge and popped it open. "Maybe I should see if it's still any good." She poured herself a glass and took a drink.

* * *

Everyone sat at the table, even Neko who seemed a lot less loopy after smelling the delicious curry. However, nearly everyone was staring at the curry in front of them a little dubiously. Ryuji had cooked it and well they weren't sure if it was any good.

"Itadakimasu!" Ryuji smiled and then looked around the table. "Oi, what's wrong?"

"Ano…is this safe?" Makoto asked.

"What?" Ryuji cocked an eyebrow. "You think it's poisonous or something?" He sounded offended.

Makoto shied away, "No, it's just…"

"If I wanted to kill someone, I'd use the direct approach," Ryuji explained. "I like to work with my hands. Poisoning just isn't my thing." Everyone stared and he snickered, "I'm just kidding! Dig in!" Still, nobody was in a hurry to try it out, except for Kenzaki and Neko. He couldn't feel pain and Neko loved curry so much to even care.

"Hey, where's Koto-chan?" Ryuji wondered out loud.

"Hic!"

Stumbling out of the kitchen, Kotonoha could be seen with a dreamy smile on her face and a half empty bottle in her hands. Her cheeks were also extremely flushed. Everyone looked at her in confusion, never seeing her like this before. She seemed a little uneasy on her feet, but she was still standing. She looked over the collected group before her eyes landed on Ryuji.

"Ryuji-kun!" she squealed. Stumbling forward, she then glomped onto Ryuji with all her drunken might.

"What's wrong with Katsura?" Otome blinked in shock.

"I think…she's drunk!" cried Sekai.

"Ryuji-kuuuuuuuun," Kotonoha giggled. "Kiss?"

"Wha-?" was all Ryuji got out before Kotonoha kissed him, using her lips and tongue to cover Ryuji's mouth and make sure he couldn't say anything.

"Katsura-san!" Taisuke cried. "You just drank beer for no reason?"

"Oh shut up, Sawanaga, you pervert!" Kotonoha snapped drunkenly.

"P-p-p-pervert?" Taisuke squeaked.

"Yes!" Kotonoha slurred. "You are the most perverted (Bleep! Bleep! Bleeeeeeeeeeep!) man I have ever met! Ever since we met I've caught you staring at my boobs and my body too many times to count! Pervert!"

Everyone stared at the girl. She was usually so sweet and innocent. She'd never cursed before in her life and now here she was, cursing like a drunken sailor.

"Well, she got you pegged right," snickered Otome.

"And you, Katou!" Kotonoha snapped. "Why were you such a bitch and bullying me all the time? Was I so sexy that you were jealous? My boobs are bigger than yours so you thought you could look tough and bully me! You pushed all that paperwork onto me because you were sooooooooooooooo lazy!"

Kotonoha's attention then turned towards Sekai and Makoto and she exclaimed, "Makoto-kun, I was the best girlfriend you ever had! Now you missed your chance to sleep with me! I had the bigger boobs so why Saionji!" She then shouted at Sekai, "And you! You stole him from me and you were my best friend! You (bleep!) bitch!"

Everyone just stared, dumbfounded, at Kotonoha as she ranted on. Neko was finding this entertaining. Under any normal circumstances, Ryuji would've been proud of Kotonoha, but she was drunk.

"But…Katou said she was sorry," Kotonoha hiccupped. "She's been real nice. She stopped bullying me and stopped her friends too. We both think Ifrit is really HOT too! But I got first dibs! Anyway (hic) she's been a good friend….so I forgive her.

Stumbling to her feet again, she wobbled over to Otome. At first, the brunette though that she was going to get punched. Instead, Kotonoha adopted a funny smile before leaning down and hugging Otome as tightly as she could.

"Please don't stop being my friend," Kotonoha sighed. "I like you better this way."

Otome blinked, but returned the drunken hug. She felt a little hurt, despite the truth in some of Kotonoha's drunken rant. On the other hand, she was happy to know that Kotonoha had truly forgiven her. Even better, she truly wanted to be friends.

Standing up, Kotonoha turned to Sekai, "And you! I thought you were my friend! Why didn't you tell me you were in love with Makoto-kun? Didn't you think I would understand? I thought we were better friends than that! Then you go behind my back to seduce Makoto-kun!"

Sekai gulped and attempted to explain herself. Her words were cut off as Kotonoha pulled her to her feet. Sekai still tried to come up with an explanation when Kotonoha did something else.

SMACK!

Sekai's head turned from the impact of Kotonoha's hand, her cheek stinging from the slap. Turning to face her friend, Sekai was then assaulted again. This time it was a glomp with Kotonoha's arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Please don't be afraid to tell me things," Kotonoha mumbled. "I don't have many friends. I don't want to lose them over one guy. Even if you have something to say that I would prefer not to hear, but I'll need to know all the same."

"Katsura-san," Sekai sniffled as she returned the hug. Kotonoha really did forgive her! She really did want to be friends even after the whole mess with Makoto. Both girls held each other for a moment before they broke away. Sekai had a bright smile while Kotonoha turned back to Ryuji.

"Still, Makoto-kun is a cheat and Sawanaga-san is a pervert," she sniffed before grinning. "But my Ryuji-kun is a stud!"

Kotonoha then lunged into another glomp. She then took his stunned silence as an opportunity to press her ample chest against his body, making sure he could feel every inch of her breasts.

"OK, Koto-chan, I think it's time for you to go to bed and sleep it off," reasoned Ryuji as she held onto him.

"Oh, Ryuji-kun! Please, make love to me right now!" she giggled. He blushed deeply at her offer. "You know you want to! We've done it lots of times!"

Otome sputtered, "WHAT!"

Everyone was shocked. They'd been sleeping together?

Ryuji, deciding to make an escape, carried Kotonoha bridal style and ran with her to her bedroom.

"Woah," Nanami blinked. "That was random."

"So, dinner and a show," Kenzaki shrugged. "Nice touch."

* * *

Ryuji had trouble getting Kotonoha into the room as she kept kissing his face and sucking on the spot on his neck that made him weak in the knees. He managed to kick the door open and lay Kotonoha down on the bed. However, she was keeping a firm grip on his arm and wouldn't let go. He, in turn, couldn't force her to let go less he hurt her.

"Koto-chan…" he sighed. He picked up the bottle of Yebisu and gave it a look of disdain before tossing it perfectly into a waste basket.

Kotonoha mumbled, "I love you, Ryuji-chan." She was hugging his arm to her chest. She turned over and pulled him into the bed, her back facing him as he stumbled next to her. She didn't seem to be in the mood to let go of him and well could he really leave her like this.

"I love you too, Koto-chan," he said as he pulled her against him. She gasped at the contact and smiled, yawning a little. "Looks like I'm gonna miss dinner…"

Suddenly, there were loud screams, "!"

"And looks like they just had the curry," he snickered, closing his eyes as he sniffed her hair. "Oyasumi…"

* * *

Ryuji woke up to find himself in a rather compromising position. He was still lying in bed with Kotonoha but sometime during the night she had shifted and holding his face against her bosom. How he never noticed, he would never know, but what worried him was what Kotonoha would endure when she woke up…the dreaded hangover.

He tried to pry himself away but she had a firm grip around his head. The more he moved, the more she held onto him and then she started to moan cutely, which wasn't helping things. '_Great…I'm stimulating her._' As much as he liked the soft pillows he was being pressed against, he needed to get out of bed for some early training.

The door was suddenly thrown open as one of his teammates came in, with his little girl riding on his shoulders. "Good morning, Ryuji!" he exclaimed. He then saw Kotonoha and Ryuji in bed and walked backwards. "Oh…I see you're busy. I'll go now…"

Ryuji, shouted, "Warren, get me out of here!" He was slowly suffocating.

"OK!" Warren went over to pull Ryuji away and was successful. This, of course, woke up Kotonoha as well who yawned and then…

"Itai," she groaned, holding her head. "My head hurts…"

"That, Koto-chan, is called a hangover," Ryuji explained.

"Daddy, what's a hangover?" Tessa asked her father curiously.

"Remember whenever your Uncle Vash wakes up with a headache?" Warren told her. "Well, that's a hangover." He said to the teens. "I'll leave you two alone." He walked out the door.

Ryuji held Kotonoha as she groaned in pain from her hangover. "I'll get you some aspirin. Lie down here." He pushed her gently onto the bed but as soon as he did, Otome came in.

"Good morning!" she greeted and was stunned by the sight. "Ara…" Ryuji was hovering over Kotonoha, in bed, and the girl was lying on it. "I'll leave you two alone now." She slowly shut the door. "I'll help Sekai start breakfast. Bye!"

Ryuji sighed and went to the bathroom and to the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. "Let's see…where's the aspirin? Ah, here it is." He took out one of the bottles. It was a good thing the tap water was filtered so he filled a glass for her. He went to his girlfriend and handed her a pill and the glass. "Here, Koto-chan." She popped the pill into her mouth and drank the water.

"Arigatou, Ryuji-kun," she smiled, relieved. He smiled back. She then asked, "What happened?"

"You got a bit drunk," he told her, gesturing to the waste basket and at the bottle in it.

"Oh my!" she gasped. "I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing!"

Ryuji chuckled at the memory and then decided to do some damage control. "Nah, you just passed out on me," he lied. "Now, lie here in bed. I'll get you your breakfast." He stood up.

"I love you," she said to him. He turned to smile at her.

"I love you too," he responded. It always filled her heart with warmth whenever he told her how much he loved her. He exited the room, leaving Kotonoha to rest.

* * *

As soon as Ryuji walked into the dining room, he noticed everyone was staring at him. He decided to speak about last night, but first… "So, how was my curry?"

Taisuke was about to say that it'd been horrible but Makoto covered his friend's mouth. "It was good! Just a tad spicy." Makoto proclaimed.

"Good," Ryuji accepted. "Now, you all must remember what happened last night, right?" They all nodded. "Well, Koto-chan doesn't and since I don't want her to feel embarrassed or humiliated, I want all of you to promise to never mention this, ever. Purge it from your memory. If she ever finds out or I find out you told anybody, I will find you, and I will…" He picked up a spoon and twisted it around like a pretzel before showing it to them. "Do we have an understanding?" They all nodded quickly. "Good. Now, I'm gonna take a shower and then I'm gonna come back here and get Koto-chan her breakfast and mine. Have a nice day." He turned around and walked away.

"Wow," Hikari was amazed as she picked up the twisted spoon.

"Ryuji always did have a way with words," joked Warren.

"That's nothing," said Neko offhandedly. "You should see what he can do with a steel pipe. Now that's impressive."

* * *

"Koto-chan, I brought you breakfast in bed," Ryuji announced cheerfully as he came back into the room with a tray of western breakfast foods. There were some pancakes, toast and scrambled eggs. Also included was a glass of freshly squeezed and chilled orange juice.

"Arigatou, Ryuji-kun," she thanked him as he came to the bed and put the tray down in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"I'm feeling fine now," she told him, "And a little hungry."

"Well, after you got yourself drunk, we skipped dinner."

"We?" she wondered what he meant then gasped. "You mean you missed dinner because of me? I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," he told her. "I just missed one dinner and well I'll have breakfast later. Right now I'm here to make sure you're doing okay."

"You're very kind," she said, blushing as she looked down. "If only others could see that."

"I only let people see what I want them to see," he said firmly. "Like you for example."

"But you could make more friends," she said.

He snorted, "Like that would ever happen. I just have a hard time trusting people."

"But you trust Neko-san, Kenzaki-san and Warren-san," she told him. "And me."

He smiled warmly and caressed her face, "I trust you the most, Koto-chan. Nobody else has earned that much from me, ever." He pulled his hand away but the sensation still lingered. "Now, eat up."

"Hai!" She dug into her breakfast. "Yummy!"

He smiled fondly as he watched her eat. She was so full of life and happy now. That was his reason for returning.

"Ryuji-kun," she suddenly spoke.

"Yes, Koto-chan?" he replied.

"What exactly happened after you got your own body? You told me you went traveling for a year but you never told me what you did exactly." He frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's okay," he waved it off. "It's just…that was the loneliest year I ever experienced.

"Lonely? Didn't you have friends with you?" she asked curiously.

"It was just me, my backpack, the clothes on my back and some cash," he told her. "Other than that I had nothing. It was just me and the open road."

"But why would you want to travel alone? And for a year?" she asked him, wanting to know more.

"It was because I wanted to be stronger. When I became separated from Ryuki, I was actually weaker. I didn't hold the same power he had so I had to work hard to regain it. The only solution was to train myself for a year, and do nothing but train. Thankfully, Ryuki and I have the same bank account that I can access whenever I needed cash."

"Where did you go?" she asked.

He started to brag, "Oh, well, I went all over the world. I would've brought along pictures but I didn't have a camera. Sometimes I would even swim across the ocean just to get to my next destination. I even scaled mountains to boost my stamina and carried rocks while I ran. All I was thinking about was to get stronger."

Kotonoha was amazed. Her boyfriend had done a lot in the name of training. "You must've had fun."

"Not really," he confessed. "I like training and I like fighting. Heck I even entered tournaments to get my fill of fights, but…I never really enjoyed myself."

"Why?" she blinked, perplexed.

"Because you weren't there."

"Ryuji-kun…"

"I was training so I could be the right man for you when I came back to see you. I wanted to be the type of man you would be proud of. The type of man who could protect you."

She was silenced by his confession before she spoke, "You could've come back anyway and even if you weren't strong, I would still take you back."

"Koto-chan?"

"When you left, I was depressed. I always dreamt of seeing you but the Ryuji-kun in my dreams never smiled. Even when we sat together at meals, watching TV, reading or even engaging in a lively conversation…the Ryuji-kun in my dreams never spoke or smiled…" Tears began forming in her eyes. "I realized that I had been crying in my sleep. I missed you." Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her, surprising her. "Ryuji-kun?"

"Gomen," he apologized. "I would've come back sooner…I should've come back sooner…"

She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his body. Others would say he was cold and mean, but not her. She could never see him like that. "It's alright now. You came back to me."

"You know, I've always hated myself," he admitted. "Because I'm a monster I thought nobody would ever love me."

"Ryuji-kun…"

He pulled away to look at her face to face, "I actually cursed my existence for awhile since I may fade away when I die. Nobody would miss me, but…since I met you…I realized how precious my life really is. You made me feel human." He caressed her face. "Whatever pain I went through, it was all worth it if it led to being with you, Ore no Tenshi…"

Kotonoha began to cry at his confession, overwhelmed by emotion. "R-Ryuji-kun…"

"I'm glad to be called your boyfriend, Koto-chan, and that you're my girlfriend." He pulled her into a soft embrace. "I love you, with all my heart, Tenshi-chan."

She began to cry against his chest, muttering, "I'm glad…I'm so happy…Senshi-kun…"

"That's why…" He began to stroke her hair. "That's why I must be stronger for you. I need to protect the one I love."

* * *

"_GenJyuKen?" Ryuji read as he scanned the scroll in his hand. He'd been taking shelter in a cave because of a serious sandstorm when he stumbled onto a chest. As soon as he touched it, it had opened and inside was this scroll. It was marked with the Japanese characters which read: GenJyuKen (Mythical Beast Fist)._

"_GenJyu…Ifrit-Ken?" he read the words in the scroll. In it were detailed drawings of martial arts stances and movements with descriptions of what they were. It was a martial arts manual. "This is…this is…" Suddenly, the scroll let out an unearthly light and Ryuji screamed. The energy from the scroll transferred into his body, filling him with the Mythical Ifrit Ki. He unleashed a roar which shook the cave. Dropping the scroll, he headed outside._

_The sandstorm was still raging but now Ryuji was no longer afraid of it. He let loose a roar and golden Ki energy exploded off his body and waves. The sand storm ceased. This new power had allowed him to conquer the dreaded sand storm. He looked into his hands and clenched his fists. "Koto-chan…I'm getting close…"_

* * *

"Yosh! Let's have one more day of fun at the beach!" shouted Taisuke excitedly, back in his hideous pair of Speedos.

"Did he have too much sugar or something at breakfast? I did see him drowning his pancakes in maple syrup," said Kenzaki.

"That's Taisuke for you," stated Makoto. "When it comes to girls in bikinis…"

"Ken-kun! Look at me!" shouted Neko as she had with her a surfboard. She immediately ran into the water to catch some waves. She didn't seem to care about what'd happened yesterday.

"Prep the infirmary," Warren joked.

"Warren-san, it's not like she's going to fall off her board," said Sekai.

"You never know. Neko has been known to do extreme things even if they hurt her."

"HANG 10 DUDES!" Neko cried out as she rode the waves. "YAHOO!"

"At least she's having fun," smiled Kenzaki.

Ryuji was lying on the deck chair with Kotonoha who'd recovered from her hangover. Both were watching Tessa build a sand castle and Kotonoha smiled at the little girl.

"Does it make you think about us having kids of our own, Ryuji-kun?" she asked her boyfriend.

"You saw into my mind, Koto-chan," he remarked. "I think you know the answer to that."

She blushed, remembering the picture of herself and him with what could be their children in his mind. "I do…and I'm looking forward to it, one day."

"Me too," he replied, wrapping an arm around her. "Me too."

The gang of high schoolers, one dad and a kid seemed to be having a fun time on the Hawaiian beach. It would appear that nothing could ruin it.

Then all Hell broke loose.

The beach was in a panic as monsters began appearing out of nowhere. They were large and muscular, with elongated mouths, clawed hands, and razor sharp teeth. The beachgoers all fled at the sight of these monsters and ran for safety. Seeing these monsters just made Warren angry. "Yoma…" growled Warren. He looked toward the others. "Everyone! Get out of here! It's too dangerous here for you guys, so I'll hold em off!"

"No! I don't want daddy to get hurt!" cried Tessa as she latched onto her father's leg. Warren kneeled down in front of her.

"Don't worry, Tessa. It'll take more than a few monsters to hurt your daddy" he said with a smile. He then picked up the girl and handed her to Neko. "Look after her." Neko nodded.

Warren then turned to face the Yoma. He noticed what appeared to be an ordinary human girl standing in the middle of them, but they didn't pay any attention to her. "Great…An Awakened Being too," groaned Warren. He held out his left hand. Shadows began to move and take shape in his hand, turning into a large claymore. Warren grinned. "Neko, please cover Tessa's ears." Neko was a little confused but complied. Warren's smile grew as he charged at the Yoma. "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers!" shouted Warren as he charged at the Yoma.

Ryuji frowned. "Great…" he grumbled. He could see the others staring as Warren went to fight the monsters and also after his display of power. "What? Are you all stupid! Get out of here!"

"But what about…" began Sekai.

"He'll be fine! Now come on!" he shouted for them to run. He carried Kotonoha bridal style as he ran with her.

"Daddy!" Tessa cried as she reached towards her father while in Neko's arms. Kenzaki was running alongside the teenage girl.

"We need to get back to the beach house and then get back to help Warren," Kenzaki told his girlfriend.

"Gotcha," she agreed. "Those monsters are going to pay for ruining my vacation."

* * *

Warren was slashing his way through the field of Yoma, making his way towards the girl. However, he had underestimated the number of Yoma and was finding himself overrun.

"Ryuou Giri!" shouted Ryukendo as she unleashed a flurry of slashes on several Yoma, killing them instantly. They exploded from the intense energy forcibly pumped into them from the slashes.

"HAH!" Ifrit shouted as he skated through the horde, freezing them in ice with expert swipes of his blades. They then shattered to pieces as a result.

"**Hiyah!**" howled Garoh (Hunter Form) as he used his Gasher and sliced off the heads of several Yoma with his flying blade.

"What are you all doing here?" Warren asked.

"Do you need to ask?" Ifrit shot back. "We're here to help you out!" Inside, he was saying, '_And I was getting bored too. I've been itching for a fight!_'

"You let us handle the small fry while you take care of the big boss!" added Ryukendo.

"**You need an invitation? Just go!**" Garoh said gruffly.

Warren smiled widely. He charged through the Yoma that were still paying attention to him and swung his blade at the girl, only for several tendrils to appear from her hair and stop the blade. "Hm, so you are an Awakened Being," said Warren with a grin.

"How did you guess?" asked the girl with a smile.

"A simple Yoma wouldn't have been able to stop my blade." Warren then pushed with more force, cutting through the tendrils. The girl countered by growing more tendrils and throwing Warren back. Warren flipped in the air and landed on his feet. He flicked his wrist and flexed his hand. "Judging by your strength, you're a former Single Digit, weren't you?"

"Correct. I am Rosemary, a former #2."

Warren's grin widened until he looked like his face would tear if he kept going. "Good…It's been a while since I could really cut loose!" He then called out, "SHATTER!"


	10. Girls Night In, Boys Night Out

The group managed to arrive at Kotonoha's beach house. Neko passed Tessa into Kotonoha's arms. The little girl was crying for her father.

"You all stay here!" ordered Kenzaki. "The three of us are going back to help out Warren."

"What the hell is going on!?" shouted Taisuke. "Why are there monsters here!?"

"Urusei, bakayarou!" snapped Ryuji. "Just stay here and don't go anywhere!"

"What can you do?" demanded Makoto.

"A lot more than you think," growled Ryuji. He wasn't sure if Makoto and Sekai still remembered that Warren had powers from the last time but he wasn't going to tempt fate. Things were serious now. It always was with Yoma.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Neko before the three of them ran back to the beach. Otome suspected that the trio knew something. Furthermore, how did Warren make that sword appear out of thin air? Otome was going to find out no matter what.

* * *

**"GIRLS' NIGHT IN, BOYS' NIGHT OUT"**

* * *

Warren was slashing his way through the field of Yoma, making his way towards the girl. However, he had underestimated the number of Yoma and was finding himself overrun.

"Ryuou Giri!" shouted Ryukendo as she unleashed a flurry of slashes on several Yoma, killing them instantly. They exploded from the intense energy forcibly pumped into them from the slashes.

"HAH!" Ifrit shouted as he skated through the horde, freezing them in ice with expert swipes of his blades. They then shattered to pieces as a result.

"**Hiyah!**" howled Garoh (Hunter Form) as he used his Gasher and sliced off the heads of several Yoma with his flying blade.

"What are you all doing here?" Warren asked.

"Do you need to ask?" Ifrit shot back. "We're here to help you out!" Inside, he was saying, '_And I was getting bored too. I've been itching for a fight!_'

"You let us handle the small fry while you take care of the big boss!" added Ryukendo.

"**You need an invitation? Just go!**" Garoh said gruffly.

Warren smiled widely. He charged through the Yoma that were still paying attention to him and swung his blade at the girl, only for several tendrils to appear from her hair and stop the blade. "Hm, so you are an Awakened Being," said Warren with a grin.

"How did you guess?" asked the girl with a smile.

"A simple Yoma wouldn't have been able to stop my blade." Warren then pushed with more force, cutting through the tendrils. The girl countered by growing more tendrils and throwing Warren back. Warren flipped in the air and landed on his feet. He flicked his wrist and flexed his hand. "Judging by your strength, you're a former Single Digit, weren't you?"

"Correct, I am Rosemary, a former #2."

Warren's grin widened until he looked like his face would tear if he kept going. "Good…It's been a while since I could really cut loose!" He then called out, "Shatter!"

Meanwhile, Ifrit was slashing at Yoma left and right like crazy with his swords. He estimated that the army was in the hundreds. Luckily, the civilians had all fled so there weren't any casualties. Well, that wasn't entirely correct. There were casualties, just not any human ones as Ifrit made one fall after another with precise swipes of his swords. Blood gushed out of their open wounds as Ifrit went on a rampage but even this was too much for his swords.

"I need something with power!" Ifrit said to himself and then he got an idea. "I know!" His swords turned into blue flames before morphing into the shape of firearms. The flames then solidified and turned into a pair of shotguns with retractable bayonets and could also double as tonfa. He blocked a swipe at his side with one of his guns and then fired a shot that froze the Yoma's head before it shattered, the body slumping backwards. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" He then started firing with his guns, freezing any far away targets while striking at anyone close by with his guns. The bayonets slid out and he used those to slash at the Yoma. "BANZAI!!"

Ryukendo watched as her dark brother had fun fighting Yoma. "Ojou-sama, duck!" alerted Gekiryuken and Ryukendo ducked under a swipe.

"Ryuou Kaen Giri!" Ryukendo cried as she swung her sword in a diagonal arch, slashing the unlucky Yoma with a flaming blade. The fire enveloped the monster as it cried in anguish. She ignored it as she went to kill a couple more Yoma. "Ryuou Raimei Giri!" She thrust her sword upwards and lightning bolts struck down from the sky, electrocuting a total of twelve Yoma around her. A few were charging at her so she executed her, "Ryuou Hyoketsu Giri!" and froze them in their tracks. She then used her "Ryuou Kaze Giri!" and slashed their frozen bodies to pieces. "Kuso, how many of these freaks are there?"

"I'm estimating less than 200 now," stated Gekiryuken factually. Ryukendo sighed. That had been a rhetorical question.

Garoh was slashing at the Yoma with his scimitar, targeting their heads and waists. Body parts went flying as blood splashed against his armor. Still, he kept on fighting. This wasn't like fighting Imagin but it did come close. Both Kenzaki and Okami were enjoying the fight as they continued to hack and slash at the monsters.

The three Riders were fighting the horde, leaving Wraith to deal with the strange girl who identified herself as Rosemary. Black chains and long, dark green tendrils clashed as Wraith swung his arms to send the ghostly metal at the girl. She was swinging her head around, her hair turning into tendrils as they swung toward the Rider.

"Wow, you're pretty good. No wonder you were a former #2," complimented Wraith. "Now, why don't you stop playing around and show me your true form?"

Rosemary smiled. "Very well…" All at once Rosemary's energy was released. She grew to enormous size. Her long hair turned into tendrils and her hands became claws. The tendrils trapped her and Wraith together as if in a cage. "So, tell me. I've told you my name, what is yours?"

"Warren Smith," answered Wraith. He then lifted his blade. "I hope you're prepared to die, Former #2 Rosemary."

"Are you?" retorted Rosemary.

"At one point I was, but a lot has changed since then. I can't afford to die."

"That is too bad," said Rosemary as the tendrils enveloped her and Warren, trapping them in a sphere of the Awakened Being's command.

Ifrit continued to slash, bash and shoot at the Yoma using his twin guns. The weapons he had now, though mainly used as guns, could be used as tonfa or swords. He crushed several skulls and slashed off heads with ease. An uneasy feeling swept over him and the Ifrit Rider turned to see the cocoon of tendrils Wraith was trapped in. "Damn it!" he cursed. They had to help but the Yoma weren't making it easy for them. Ifrit ducked under a swipe aimed at his head from behind before spinning on his heels and slicing off the Yoma's legs. He then finished it off with ice shots that froze it before it hit the ground. The demon shattered into pieces.

"**OKA-BYA-RAI-BURA! EMPEROR FORM**!"

Garoh had called on the rest of his Imagin teammates, combining with them to form his Emperor Form. He stood with Ryukendo, back to back, as they were surrounded by vicious Yoma. The bodies of dead Yoma lay around them, pools of blood covering the beautiful beach.

"This was not the thing I was expecting for my vacation, Ken-kun," grimaced Ryukendo as she gripped Gekiryuken tightly.

"Well, who says life was fair," he remarked, holding the GaroGasher in its scimitar mode.

"At least I'm by your side," said Ryukendo. "There's nobody else I'd be more proud to fight with than my boyfriend."

Garoh acknowledged the sweet words but the tender moment was ruined as Okami brought them to reality, "_Oi! Shonen! Get your head in the game!_"

Garoh agreed and summoned his Violet Fierce Ki. He allowed it to envelop his entire body like violet flames. The Yoma could sense his power rising.

"Ojou-sama, use the ultimate attack!" instructed Gekiryuken. The Dragon Rider of the Gekiryuken nodded as she focused on her power, a blue aura surrounding her as the gem in her chestplate glowed.

"**CHARGE AND UP!**"

Garoh howled and then charged at the Yoma in front of him with his charged up blade, energized by the energies of the belt and his own Violet Ki. Ryukendo's blade was also glowing as an aura shaped like a dragon surrounded her.

"**IMPERIAL SLASH!**"

"KYUUKYOUKU RYUOU GIRI!"

Garoh tore through the Yoma quickly and mercilessly as Ryukendo swiped her sword down, sending a gigantic blade of energy at the Yoma. Both attacks decimated the Yoma easily, some were even vaporised and ceased to exist.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Ifrit leapt upwards as his guns began to charge up. He was ten feet in the air when he aimed them down at the Yoma under him. "GET READY FOR A NEW ICE AGE!" he roared before pulling the triggers. Instantly, the two guns fired and blasted the Yoma with a literal blizzard that froze them in the tracks. The blizzard also threw Ifrit backwards through the air. He landed on the ground and dug in his heels as he continued to fire, the recoil causing him to slide a few feet backwards.

When he stopped, there was a slight mist. He strode forward to see the entire area he'd been aiming it was now covered in ice, along with the Yoma. He tapped one of the Yoma and watched as it shattered into a million pieces. This caused a chain reaction and as a result the rest of the frozen Yoma also shattered into tiny little pieces. He hefted his guns onto his shoulders and said, "Cool..." Admiring his weapons, he decided to name them, "I guess the 'Sub-Zero Shooters' is a good name for you." He banished them and decided to see if he could help his sister and her boyfriend.

"Hey, are you two okay?" asked Ifrit. Both Garoh and Ryukendo were standing in front of the cocoon of tendrils and neither of them could get through. Ifrit could see a lot of dead Yoma littering the ground. Still, he was concerned for Warren. As annoying as Warren could be, he was one of the only people he could call friend.

"Don't worry. He may be stupid most of the time but he's strong," said a voice behind them. The group turned to see none other than Warren's loving wife, Raven/Rachel.

Suddenly the ground began to shake and everyone's attention was brought back to the writhing cocoon of tendrils. The orb the exploded in a giant eruption.

* * *

Moments ago, within the orb…

"I'm sorry to say this, Rosemary, but you're no match for someone at my level," said Wraith with a hint of sadness in his voice. Despite her being an enemy, he hated to raise his blade against a woman.

"Quite full of yourself, aren't you?" sneered Rosemary as two tendrils shot at Wraith but were instantly destroyed. Rosemary roared as she fired more and more tendrils at Warren, trying to kill the Rider. But each time the tendril was sliced to ribbons by Warren's blade.

"I'll make your death quick," said Wraith. "But first, I need to escape from this place. So, I honor of your former position, I'll show you fifty percent of my power." Warren's body then began to glow with dark energy. "Please forgive me for this."

* * *

Raven was able to protect the three Riders from the explosion by concealing all of them within a protective barrier made from her own magical energy. Ifrit looked ahead to see if he could Warren and he did.

Warren stood at the centre of the crater, his blade at Rosemary's neck. "Goodbye, Former #2, Rosemary." Warren then swung the blade forward and in one swift motion, sliced the girl's head clean off. He let out a sigh as he banished his blade before turning around to see Raven, Garoh, Ryukendo and Ifrit staring at him. "Oh, hey guys." He eyed Raven and gulped, "Hi, honey."

Raven strode forward and gave Warren a hard slap across the face. She demanded, "Where's my daughter?"

"She's safe," said Ryuji as his armor fell away, "Tessa-chan is back at Koto-chan's beach house with the others."

Neko's armor vanished as Gekiryuken turned into his medallion form that hung from her neck. She blanched and said, "How are we going to clean this mess up?" The entire beach now looked like a warzone after a huge battle. Dead Yoma littered the beach and their blood soaked the sand. Even the water was polluted by the blood. "Thanks to us this beach has turned into a mass graveyard."

Kenzaki sighed. His armor also shattered into shards like Ryuji's and fell away from his body. "I guess we need to call in some help."

Ryuji's slightly higher than average hearing caught the sound of movement and he spun around. His eyes widened when he saw Otome and Taisuke staring at them with shocked looks on their faces. "You..." he growled.

Otome's eyes were wide with shock, "You're...you're Ifrit?"

Taisuke paled at the revelation, even more so that he finally found out Ryukendo was a girl and it was Neko. "No...No...way..." he couldn't believe it. The Riders had been right under their noses the whole time?

"You followed us," Ryuji said angrily, "When we told you not to." His hands became engulfed in blue flames. He had little reason to trust these two. One had bullied Kotonoha and the other had tried to rape her. They were still on his list and now they knew the Riders' secret.

"We...were curious," said Otome. "We saw Warren with that sword...and..."

"We...we wanted to know what you guys were up to," Taisuke swallowed. The look in Ryuji's eyes was of cold rage and he'd seen it the night Ryuji had beaten him up without mercy.

"Ryuji-chan, don't," warned Neko.

"They know, Neko-nee," Ryuji remarked. "We can't take the risk or else they'll blab."

"We won't tell!" Otome denied. "Honest!"

"Sorry, but I don't believe you..." Ryuji growled. Otome and Taisuke were frozen in fear as the temperature dropped.

He stalked towards the two, fingers curled into claws. The two teens were in shock. They would've never had guessed that the hero they worshipped was the guy they feared. This was just too much for one day.

Ryuji then whipped out his SB-Cell. He grinned and said, "Smile!" before flashing them with camera lens, which also erased memories. The two wore blank expressions before they collapsed.

Neko let out a breath of relief before slapping her brother's arm. "Don't scare me like that!"

Ryuji snickered, "Hey, I've always wanted to scare those two like that." He sniffed the air and grimaced. "And one of them just wet themselves."

"We'll take care of them later," said Warren. "But the question is how we're going to clean this up?"

"You mean before the authorities and a news crew gets here, right?" questioned Kenzaki.

Raven pointed. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

They all turned to look at the beach and corpses and were surprised to see them fading away. Even Rosemary's body was fading away. Seconds later, there was not even a trace of the Yoma left, not even blood stains.

"Alright, what just happened?" demanded Ryuji.

"Temporal displacement," said Kenzaki. "I'm not sure how it works but I'm thinking they were transported back to their realm."

"They didn't belong here, so they just disappeared?" Neko asked.

"Exactly," nodded Kenzaki.

"Well, that's two problems solved," said Warren. "But the others saw me summon my sword and..."

"Let me take care of that," said Ryuji, waving his phone. "You need to talk with your wife."

Warren looked at Raven sheepishly. "Don't worry. Before doing anything I made sure she was safe," said Warren hastily.

Raven sighed. "I knew you would, and I know it's not your fault Tessa is here. Given the chance, Alex would have snuck aboard the ChronoLiner to follow you too. Why do they have to look up to you so much?"

"Because I'm just that awesome?" answered Warren with a grin. Raven then lightly slapped Warren in the face. This caused him to laugh slightly as he moved in and planted a quick kiss o her lips. "Come on. I know where there's a little girl who's looking for her daddy."

* * *

Kenzaki and Neko carried Taisuke and Otome, respectively, as Ryuji led them back to the beach house. Once there, he quickly erased the others' memories of the Yoma attack and seeing Warren use his powers. No doubt the Yomas would be considered a result of mass hysteria once news of it got out, but the lack of evidence would support it. It would also mean the beach being closed for investigation as foreign contaminants in the water may have been the cause of the hysteria, but that was no longer the Riders' concern. Only the Riders, Kotonoha and Raven would know the truth.

Warren took Raven to his room where Tessa was sleeping. The violet haired woman gazed lovingly at their daughter who was sucking on her thumb with a blanket covering her.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" said Raven.

"Just like her mother," agreed Warren.

Later that night, both Kotonoha and Ryuji were on the balcony. The girl was resting her head against her boyfriends shoulder as he had his arm around her waist, holding her close. He'd told her about the fight and she'd been worried sick.

"Beautiful night," said Ryuji as he looked at the sky. It was times like this that he cherished with Kotonoha the most.

"Yes," she agreed. "The moon and the stars look nice too." She heard him sigh. "What's wrong?"

"No matter where I go or what I go, trouble just seems to follow me around," he told her. "I'm starting to wonder if I'm just a magnet for trouble."

"You're not," she objected.

"Aren't I?" he responded. "Remember our first date?"

"I do, and except for the part where you almost died, I enjoyed it," she told him honestly.

"Well, most of the time we try to spend together, an Imagin shows up and I have to go fight it," he said. "I love to fight, but leaving you sucks."

"Then make me a Rider," she requested. He was shocked by the request. "Make me a Rider too, Ryuji-kun. That way I can fight by your side."

"I can't," he shook his head.

"Why not? Neko-san and Kenzaki-san do it."

"Well, Neko-nee has years of experience and training. I know you can fight, pretty well when you're motivated, but not really as well as us."

'Then train me and make me stronger," she insisted. "You've been teaching me the basics to defend myself but I want to learn more."

Ryuji saw the determination in her eyes. She really did want to play a more active role but he really couldn't put her at risk like that. '_She's already at risk being with you anyway, so why not give her an edge?_' Kotonoha could use his Pass and transform with Athena's aid, but since Ryuji was the primary user, Kotonoha would need to get her own Rider System. He could ask Ant for it but he wasn't sure if he wanted Kotonoha to help. She wasn't as a good as a fighter as he was, but then again Athena would be in control of the body so that was a moot point. Still, he really didn't want to put his love in harm's way.

He tried to think rationally. On one hand it would make his job easier if he had a full time partner. On the other hand that would mean Kotonoha would have to live a double life. And then of course Kotonoha would probably get herself killed. Then again, Ryuji takes the same risks all the time whenever he fought but unlike Kotonoha he wasn't human and could heal rather quickly. This was a dilemma. The only person he could go to with this would be his...sempai.

* * *

"She said what?" Warren questioned as he, Kenzaki and Ryuji sat in the living room after everyone had gone to sleep.

"She wants to be a Rider," Ryuji spoke.

"Was she serious?" asked Kenzaki.

"I'm pretty sure she was," Ryuji nodded. "So, what should I do?" He looked between the two. Warren's wife was a superhero while Kenzaki's girlfriend, who was also Ryuji's sister, was also a Rider in her own right. So, right now, he would need their help to resolve this issue.

"What did you tell her?" Warren asked.

"That I would at least think about it," Ryuji replied. "And I am, which is why I can't sleep."

"Bummer," Kenzaki frowned.

"You're telling me," sighed Ryuji. "I love the girl and I want her to be happy, but I don't think she can be a Rider like us. There are way too many risks involved and unlike us she doesn't have any special powers."

"Neither does Robin and he's a pretty good Rider," reminded Kenzaki, referring to Robin's use of the Titan Gear.

"He's also a trained acrobat and martial artist," rebutted Ryuji. "He doesn't need powers when he's already skilled."

"So, because of her lack of skill, she can't help?" Warren frowned, leering at Ryuji.

"What's with that look?" Ryuji cocked an eyebrow.

"Kohai, when you were in a coma, she and I went into your head," Warren told him. "And I could see what she could do with a dozuki. Trust me when I say that she has skills."

"I did tell her to keep it on her for emergencies," stated Ryuji.

"You tell your girlfriend to carry a saw with her all the time?" Kenzaki remarked.

"Your girlfriend uses a sword," Ryuji pointed out. "My girlfriend needs a weapon to protect herself."

"But even with that, you don't think she should be a Rider?" Warren commented.

"Exactly...I think..." He rubbed his temples. "Ugh, I don't know!"

"Well, there is this one idea…" began Warren.

"What?" asked Ryuji.

"Make her go through a complete day of basic Rider training. If she makes it through the day with no serious injuries, we put in a request with Ant," suggested Warren.

Ryuji did recall what basic Rider training involved and shuddered. It had been harrowing for him and he was afraid for Kotonoha. "You do know what that means, right?"

"Yeah," nodded Warren. "We need one of the Riders to help us and I know just the man...the original Kamen Rider, Mr. Takeshi Hongo."

* * *

Just as the Riders predicted, the beach had to be closed down for investigation by the local Health Department. A lot of people had to leave as well and many had to have their blood checked if there was any trace of the contaminants still in their system.

The gang left on the next plane back to Japan, their holiday plans now revised. Well, at least the cherry blossoms were in bloom now. They all went to the park the following day to watch the cherry blossoms. They had a picnic at the same time too. There was a lot of food to be had that day and there was also entertainment. Just a small karaoke machine for them to sing with but it was enough. Raven, Warren and Tessa joined them as well for it. The little girl loved to watch the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom. They were like tiny snowflakes in the spring.

The cherry blossoms reminded Ryuji of a peaceful time in his life. He had Ryuki's memories and both shared many of the same thoughts and emotions, just different ways of interpreting them. At least they could both agree upon the start of spring when the cherry blossoms were in the bloom. Also, Kotonoha had first met him many years ago when he'd ventured into the past and given him a bouquet of cherry blossoms as a reward for saving her and her family.

Several days later, the girls made plans for a girls' night in. In other words they were going to have a big slumber party together at Kotonoha's. That left the boys with making plans of their own.

That was why Ryuji was sitting in a van with Kenzaki, Taisuke and Makoto on their way to the camping site. They would be doing some 'male bonding'. Warren was driving them there and would be joining them too. Vash was also part of the group, sitting in the passenger side next to Warren. Thankfully, he was asleep. Ryuji had his eyes closed. Looking at the two boys who'd hurt his girlfriend was not something he wanted to do the for the whole 3 hour trip. They were headed to a forest just outside of Sakakino City where they would learn how to survive. Ryuji would consider this training. The good news was that he could lose both Makoto and Taisuke in the woods. Unlike them, he was an excellent tracker and would just leave them to suffer while laughing at their misfortune.

Ryuji still hadn't talked to Kotonoha about the basic Rider training she would need to go through to become a Rider. From his experience it would be the most strenuous exercise she would have to perform. She would have to push her limits. The enemies were monsters so she needed to be as tough as monsters. There would be a time when she couldn't rely on the armor to hold off an opponent. The only problem was that she didn't have any powers unlike Kenzaki, Warren, Neko and himself. That was what worried Ryuji the most. She could get killed. At least with Takeshi Hongo coming she would have a good teacher to guide her. Ryuji would've gladly volunteered but he would be way too biased due to his relationship with Kotonoha and may, though not purposely, go easy on her.

"Having fun, Ryuji?" asked Kenzaki. The Wolf Rider had noticed his fellow Rider's silence.

"Yeah, this should be an interesting trip," replied Ryuji. Secretly, he was planning different ways Makoto and Taisuke could "get lost" in the woods. Maybe he could take them hiking and they'd "accidentally" fall off the side of the cliff? That way he could deny having anything to do with their unfortunate demise.

Unfortunately, there were several problems with that plan. He and Sekai had become pretty good friends since he started hanging out at the Radish restaurant and got to talking with her. She was a pretty decent person most of the time and he could tolerate her. What'd happened between her, Kotonoha and Makoto was all in the past now and she did seem remorseful. He had crossed her name out of his list already. Killing Makoto would just upset her and Kotonoha. Also, Makoto was not all bad. He was just a victim of circumstances which spiralled out of control. Of course, he barely tolerated Makoto's presence most of the time. Taisuke, however, was still close to the top of his list since his attempted rape of Kotonoha. He would never forgive the guy and watched him like a hawk. He once threatened to beat the guy up if he even looked at Kotonoha funny. The guy was a walking bag of hormones ready to explode. If only he realised that Hikari liked him. Of course, Ryuji wondered what any girl could see in the guy.

"Planning on doing anything interesting?" asked Kenzaki.

"Oh, just a few things," responded Ryuji. "Maybe do some training."

"Need help?"

"Sure."

While Taisuke and Makoto would go through normal and basic wilderness survival training, Ryuji was thinking of doing some combat training. He did remember a few of the exercises Ryuki's grandfather had put him through, such as tracking and camouflage. If one were to fight in the woods, one would have to be one with the woods. The terrain itself could be used to ones advantage once one became familiar with it.

As for the wilderness survival training, Warren was the best choice to lead. When it came to surviving, almost no one could compare to Warren. Ryuji knew this from the time they ended up trapped on Warren's world during World War II. Warren had already been stuck there for a year and even managed his way through six months in a concentration camp, followed by four months in the wild before finally meeting up with some American troops. Warren still wore the tattoos on his wrist as a reminder.

* * *

Otome, Nanami and Hikari all marvelled at Kotonoha's home. They knew she was rich but to see her home for the first time it made them feel inadequate. Only Neko and Sekai didn't react since the former had lived in a mansion for most of her life while the latter had come to visit awhile back.

"Come inside," Kotonoha invited. Her parents were away on business while her little sister was sleeping over at a friend's house, leaving the place all to the girls.

"I feel like an ass now for all the times I've treated her," muttered Otome. Her other friends who used to bully Kotonoha didn't accept the invitation. Maybe it had something to do with pride? Otome did feel distant from them after befriending Kotonoha but maybe they couldn't handle nor understand the change. They'd bullied Kotonoha up until Otome decided to put a stop to it. She never really took the time to really get to know Kotonoha and felt foolish for doing such things to the girl.

The group of girls entered and removed their footwear before putting on the indoor slippers. They'd stayed at Kotonoha's family's beach house so they knew what to expect. Still, it was a lot to take in for them.

Kotonoha, of course, had her mind elsewhere, wondering what Ryuji was doing. Since he would be away with Taisuke and Makoto, she feared he may do something to them. Her boyfriend did tend to get violent but with her around he managed to keep his temper under control, but since she wasn't there…she would pray for Makoto and Taisuke later.

"Um…Katsura-san?" asked Sekai.

"Yes, Saionji-san?" responded Kotonoha.

"Did Hasuma tell you anything about that camping trip he's going with the boys on?"

"Well, it's basically training for Ryuji-kun," replied Kotonoha. "Makoto-kun and Sawanaga-san would get wilderness survival training."

"With Hasuma with them, I doubt they would survive," quipped Otome.

"Ryuji-kun won't hurt them…unless they did something that made him angry," defended Kotonoha.

"Which can be anything," added Otome. "Katsura, your boyfriend doesn't like that many people. He gets annoyed and angry very easily. He just doesn't act out as much around you." She asked, "How do you even keep that guy on a leash?"

Kotonoha smiled, "Ryuji-kun…he's a good person deep down. I also asked him not to hurt them and I know he won't disobey my wishes."

Otome blinked. "You really trust him that much?"

"I do, and he trusts me," Kotonoha smiled. She knew all of his secrets, all of them which he had entrusted with her.

"OK, so what are we going to do now?" asked Hikari expectantly.

"How about we all sit in the living room and watch some movies?" suggested Kotonoha.

* * *

The group of boys arrived at the forest. They van stopped and they all exited the vehicle to stretch their legs. Ryuji was surveying the surroundings, thinking, '_Plenty of places to hide their bodies and…no, I promised Koto-chan, but it's so tempting._'

"Hey, Ryuji!" Kenzaki called. "Help me pitch up the tents."

"Hai, hai," said Ryuji in a bored tone. He went over to help pitch up the tents.

"I'm going to find a source of water," said Warren. He pointed to both Makoto and Taisuke. "You two should go fetch some firewood." He tossed the two a compass and a map. "If you get lost, use those."

"I hope they do get lost," Ryuji muttered as he watched the two boys leave.

Kenzaki shook his head at his fellow Rider, "You can really hold a grudge."

"Just like you," Ryuji retorted. "12 years of swearing revenge? Ring any bells?"

Kenzaki glowered but then sighed. "I already let it go. Katherine's still out there but as far as I'm concerned I've avenged my family."

Ryuji rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever. At least you've given up on revenge to be in love with Neko-nee…"

"Yeah…" Kenzaki smiled wistfully. "Still, you did promise you wouldn't hurt those two."

"Cheh, I can always just sit back and let the woods do it for me." He then asked, "So, any leads on Nanimo?"

Kenzaki frowned at hearing that name and shook his head. "No, but we do know he sent those Yoma."

"No doubt," agreed Ryuji. "Or maybe Katherine and he are working together."

"Don't even joke about that," warned Kenzaki.

"Sorry, sorry," Ryuji apologized. He called to Warren who'd come back with a kettle of water, "Hey, Warren. Kenzaki and I are going to find a clearing to do some training. You can take care of the bakas while we're away, right?"

"I can, but can you wake up Vash?" Warren pointed at the van. "He's still asleep."

'_That's because I slipped sleeping pills into his coffee_,' thought Ryuji. During the whole trip he'd wanted some peace and quiet. Also, the reason Vash was here was because...

* * *

"_Backup?" Ryuji quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by backup?"_

"_Well, I can't always be here," stated Warren. "The same can be said about Kenzaki and Neko."_

"_You all drop by when it conveniences you," Ryuji huffed. "Besides, I don't need anymore backup. I already got Loki as well as Koto-chan's Imagin, Athena. That's all the help I need."_

_Warren didn't seem convinced. Ryuji had gotten himself captured before and caught off guard by an Imagin before that. He was Ryuji's sempai so it was his responsible to protect his kohai. "Sorry, but I must insist. As your sempai I must assign you a new partner."_

'_Again with this sempai crap,' thought Ryuji bitterly. "OK, fine. Whatever makes you happy."_

"_That's what I want to hear," nodded Warren._

"_So, who's my backup?" Ryuji asked._

_At that very moment, HE came in. He had spiked up blonde hair and wore a long red coat. Ryuji recognized him instantly and looked horrified before turning towards Warren. "Oh…you have got to be kidding me…" Ryuji spoke._

"_Ryuji, this is your backup," said Warren, "Vash."_

"_OH HELL NO!" Ryuji exploded. "NO FUCKING WAY!!"_

"_I told you this wouldn't work," said Vash._

"_Sorry, Ryuji, you don't have a choice on this. Back on Ryuki's world, there's something big going down. A lot of us are dealing with that. On top of that, I have my own mission to work on. Finding six kids in the entire Multiverse ain't easy."_

"_So, you expect me to work with this drunken slob?" Ryuji pointed._

"_Hey!" Vash was offended._

"_Why not? You've worked together before," Warren reminded. "He did help you save Kotonoha."_

_Warren had a point. If it weren't for Vash, then Kotonoha would've died. And, besides, Vash wasn't all that bad. It was just Ryuji was still mad at the guy for tossing him into the air without even a warning._

* * *

Ryuji would've preferred anyone else other than Vash. Still, there probably wasn't anything he could do about it. That didn't mean he couldn't complain about it.

* * *

All the girls had changed into their pyjamas and were sitting in front of Kotonoha's television. They were currently watching movies, in this case a romance, which was leaving them all teary-eyed. Kotonoha had wanted to see a horror movie but she'd been overruled but even she had to agree that this romantic movie was good.

"That's so beautiful," Hikari sniffled as the main characters of the film finally found each other.

"Yeah," Otome nodded as she wiped her eyes. "I wish I had a guy like that."

"Reminds me of Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha sighed dreamily.

"Wow," Neko sighed dreamily. She just wanted to hug Kenzaki right at that moment. Still, he was off on his camping trip at the moment.

"Why can't real guys be romantic like that?" asked Nanami.

"Because they don't know how," Sekai sighed. "Makoto tries, but he really doesn't know how sometimes."

"Ryuji-kun can be romantic," Kotonoha argued.

"Mr. Tough Guy?" asked Hikari incredulously. "This I have to hear!"

"Maybe it's best that I show you," said Kotonoha as she reached under her nightgown. She then pulled out a heart shaped crystal pendant which made all the girls gaze at it in awe.

"Wow," Nanami blinked.

"Beautiful," added Sekai.

Blushing, Kotonoha explained, "It's the present Ryuji-kun gave to me on Christmas Eve. It's supposed to represent him giving me his heart." Originally, it'd been an ice crystal but Kotonoha had it made into a pendant only recently so that it would always hang near her heart.

Otome was now envious of Kotonoha but happy for her too. Still, she stared at it. The pendant looked like it was made of diamond. "So, is it real?"

"What do you mean?" Kotonoha questioned.

"I mean I don't think Hasuma could afford something as a real diamond pendant, or crystal for that matter," Otome elaborated.

"Oh, it's not made of either of those," Kotonoha said. She couldn't tell them he'd made it for her. That would mean telling them about his powers. "But it's real, I know it is."

Otome reached over to touch it but recoiled when she made contact. "It's cold."

"Cold?" Hikari blinked. She went to touch it. "Ah, it is cold!"

"Like ice," added Otome.

"It's been like that since I got it. I like it though," Kotonoha smiled. "I don't think I need any more gifts other than this."

"Maybe a wedding ring then?" teased Neko. The comment made Kotonoha blush brightly, but the silly smile on her face was completely unmistakable.

"You are so lucky!" Sekai pouted. "Makoto doesn't give me things like that! At best I get some earrings or something! Hasuma gave you a stone like that?"

"He gave me another one for Valentine's Day, but as a ring," Kotonoha blushed happily.

"No way!" Hikaru cried. "You are so spoiled!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Otome gulped before she turned to Neko. "Hey, you got another brother, right? Is he seeing anyone?"

"Sorry," Neko giggled. "My brothers are taken. Better luck elsewhere."

"Damn," Otome grimaced. Why were all the good guys taken? Everyone looked up when a knock came at the door.

Kotonoha stood up and went to the door. "Yes?" she asked as she opened the door. She was surprised to see Raven standing there.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized.

* * *

Kenzaki and Ryuji panted, both facing each other with intense glares. They'd been sparing for hours, relying on their skills and only their skills. None of their special attacks or powers had been used the entire time. The trees around them had suffered from their spar judging by the marks on them.

"Gonna (pant) quit yet?" questioned Ryuji.

"You first (pant), Ifrit," huffed Kenzaki.

Ryuji went into another Ifrit-Ken stance, both hands in front of him facing Kenzaki and fingers curled into claws. He spread his legs and bent them at the knees. "Never," growled Ryuji before bringing his legs back together and lunging at Kenzaki. They both tumbled along the grass. Kenzaki kneed Ryuji in the knee and then kicked him off him. Ryuji landed roughly on him back but rolled onto his front before pushing himself back to his feet. He ducked under a punch and elbowed Kenzaki in the gut. Kenzaki couldn't feel pain but it'd been a hard hit still.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at camp, Makoto and Taisuke had collected the firewood, not getting lost thanks to the compass and map Warren had lent them.

"Hey, where are those two?" asked Taisuke.

"Training," Warren said offhandedly as he started the fire. "Those two feel more at home sparring here."

"Weird," muttered Makoto. He never knew anyone going so far for martial arts training but that had been before he met Ryuji and then Kenzaki.

"Not as weird as going on a one year trip to master his skills," commented Warren. "Let's just say Ryuji takes his training really seriously."

"No doubt about that," Makoto agreed. Ryuji had skills to back up his strength.

Warren had heated the water. He'd found a stream not too far from where they were. Vash was still asleep and he was starting to wonder if Ryuji had anything to do with it. He had seemed a little too happy leaving Vash like that.

* * *

Raven was the oldest of the group of girls but she was no stranger to slumber parties. Having endured a few with Starfire and the other Titan girls, Raven knew a thing or two about them. Now that she was able to express emotion, she could have fun at slumber parties…if she wanted to. Girlish giggling was still annoying to her, except if it was her daughter that was giggling.

Kotonoha, unlike the other girls, Raven was an offworlder but she didn't mind the older woman's presence. In fact she welcomed it.

Now the girls were sitting in a circle with an empty glass bottle in the centre, playing a game called "Truth or Dare". They had played for 5 minutes now and had spilled their guts or performed embarrassing dares which were still in good fun.

Somehow, Kotonoha had been lucky enough to not have the bottle land on her but her luck was about to run out. Now it was Hikari's turn. She'd been forced to switch underwear with Nanami and well it wasn't very comfortable. In fact she was starting to itch.

Hikari spun the bottle and the girls were gripped with apprehension, wondering what Hikari would plan for them to do once the bottle landed on them.

The bottle pointed straight at Kotonoha who gasped in shock. What should she choose? Truth, or Dare?

"OK, Katsura-san," grinned Hikari. "Truth or Dare?"

Kotonoha gulped. '_Should I choose dare? Oh, I don't want to embarrass myself. But if I choose truth then Hikari will ask me an embarrassing question and I have to answer. What to do? Should I choose the lesser of two evils? Which is the lesser of two evils?_'

"Hey, Katsura," Otome tapped her knee with her fingers. "We don't have all night here. Just pick something."

"Alright," Kotonoha sighed. "Truth." '_What have I got to lose aside from my dignity?_' Hikari grinned. '_Maybe I should rethink my decision_.' She took a sip of soda to calm her nerves.

"Well, I was wondering…how good your boyfriend is in bed?" Hikari asked and Kotonoha immediately spat out the soda she was drinking, straight at Sekai who was sitting across from her. Sekai was drenched in soda now, causing the rest of the girls to laugh. "Gomen, Saionji-san," Kotonoha apologised.

"It's OK," Sekai smiled. "I just need to get myself cleaned up."

"I'll show you to the bathroom and…" Kotonoha was about to stand up when Otome pulled her down. "Katou-san?"

"Oh, no," Otome grinned. "Neither of you are leaving until we hear this."

"I don't think we need to hear this," said Neko nervously.

"Ano, Ryuji-kun and I have never…"

"Don't lie," Hikari said. "We know all about you and Hasuma."

Kotonoha paled. "Y-You do?"

"Back at your beach house when we went to Hawaii, you got a little drunk," explained Sekai. "And you said a few things…"

Kotonoha was almost afraid to ask but she asked anyway, "Things like what?"

"About how you really felt about everyone," said Sekai. "It's alright, it was an eye opener."

"You also cursed, a lot," added Nanami. Kotonoha blushed. Had she really…?

"And the biggest one was hearing about your sex life," giggled Hikari. "So, tell us."

"She doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to," Raven defended.

"But, Rachel-san," Otome grinned. "This is juicy stuff."

"Rachel's right," Neko agreed with Raven. "I don't think I want to listen to this. It's my brother for goodness sake!"

"But we're all curious!" said Hikari.

Kotonoha was now mortified. Ryuji had told her she'd gotten drunk but didn't divulge anymore information beyond that. She needed to have a talk with him about being more honest with her but now she was going to bare all…

"Alright," Kotonoha sighed. "If you wish to know, Ryuji-kun is…" All the girls leaned in to listen, except for Raven who thought this was just so immature. Kotonoha bit her lower lip, "Ryuji-kun is…" How was she supposed to word this without making it sound dirty? She finally got the answer and used that, "Ryuji-kun is an amazing lover. He knows how to touch me. He can be gentle and rough at the same time that it takes my breath away."

"Is that it?" Otome blinked. She would've thought the guy liked it rough.

"Well, he does bite me," Kotonoha blushed, a hand going to the spot Ryuji would usually sink his teeth into whenever they made love. The girls grinned. Now it was getting interesting, "And I claw at his back every time I…" She shut her eyes, hands to her cheeks, remembering the feeling again. "Ohhhhh!! He's just so wonderful!"

"That's it," Neko raised her hand before standing up. "I'm going to the bathroom to puke." She turned away and got away from the circle as fast as she could towards the bathroom.

"Damn," Otome quipped. "You make it sound he's the best you ever had." She then realised, "Wait, was he your first?"

"My first, only and last," said Kotonoha with pure conviction. "The only man I will love from now on."

"Are you sure?" Sekai questioned. "I mean what if…"

"He won't break up with me," said Kotonoha.

Neko return, having relieved herself and had heard Kotonoha's words. Neko sat down, saying, "She's right. No way is Ryuji-chan going to break up with her. It's tradition."

"Tradition?" Nanami, Otome, Sekai and Hikari said quizzically.

Neko explained, "The men and women in our family are firm monogamous. That means when they choose a companion, they are faithful to the very end. To use an example, my other brother, Ryuki, had a few girlfriends in the past and he was faithful to each of them until circumstances forced them to break up. Now, the members in my family CANNOT break up with people so it's the other person's job to do the breaking up." Giving Kotonoha a nod, she finished, "So, Ryuji-chan will never, ever, split up with Kotonoha-san until she wants it to happen, which will never happen, am I right?"

Kotonoha nodded, "That's right. He told me himself."

"That's one very devoted family," said Sekai in amazement.

"That's why there has never been a case of divorce in the Hasuma Clan, ever." Neko pointed out.

Now Otome was really interested in snagging a guy like Ryuji, well not exactly like Ryuji but just someone in his family. "So, any cousins or relatives that I can…"

Neko shook her head, "Not that I know of. Sorry."

"Damn it."

* * *

"Hey, how was your nap, sleeping beauty?" teased Ryuji as Vash got out of the van, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Something was definitely in that coffee," muttered Vash. "How long was I out?"

"8 hours and it's already dark," Warren pointed. They were all sitting around the campfire.

"Now I need to take a leak," Vash stated. Warren tossed him a flashlight. "Thanks."

"Don't wander off," advised Warren.

"If you get lost we might just leave you behind," joked Ryuji. Vash gave him a glare before walking away to take a leak. "So, anyone in the mood for ghost stories?"

* * *

"And when the girl turned, she saw it in the darkness and..."

"OK, stop the story!" exclaimed Hikari. "That's too scary for me."

"Aw, come on," Neko pouted. "I was just getting to the good part where the monster strips her flesh off her bones and…"

"I said stop!" Hikari tossed a pillow at Neko who caught it. "That's to gross! Somebody else tell a story!"

The lights had been turned off with the only source of light being several scented candles Raven had brought placed in the centre of the circle. They'd been taking turns telling scary stories when Neko's turn came up and her story was starting to freak them out.

Raven volunteered, "Well, I think I know a good story and this one really happened."

"Sounds interesting," grinned Neko, "Come on, Rae-chan."

Raven cleared her throat and began her tail, "One Friday night a group of friends decided to watch a movie together in their house. They were all housemates, you see, and did everything together. Now, this movie was said to be cursed. After joking about it, one of them, Gar, put the video in and they began watching…"

Raven went on with the tale, retelling her entire experience during the episode "Fear Itself". The girls were all at the edge of their seats, listening, enraptured.

"Now, only one of them was left…" Rachel smirked, "She was all alone and all her friends were gone. She had nowhere to run and then…" The candles all extinguished suddenly, bathing the group of girls in darkness and a loud scream was heard.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Vash screamed girlishly, still holding up his pants as he ran back to the campsite. Taisuke had jumped into Makoto's arms when he heard the blonde's scream.

"We gotta get out of here!" shouted Vash, opening the van door and jumping inside. "Now! Let's go! Let's go!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ryuji demanded.

"I saw a ghost!" Vash answered. "Now, come on and let's get out of here!" Ryuji and Warren dragged the frightened gunman out of the van. "Lemme go! Lemme go!"

"Oh, quit being such a baby!" Ryuji growled.

"There are no ghosts here," said Warren. He would've sensed it if there was.

"I know what I saw and I say we beat it!" struggled Vash as he kicked his legs up and down.

"I'd like to beat in your skull," muttered Ryuji as he and Warren dropped him down with the others.

"OK, Vash, I know you don't do drugs, at least s far as I know, so tell us what exactly happened," said Warren.

"OK, OK," Vash said, managing to calm down. "I was taking a leak and I saw something."

"Can you describe it?" asked Kenzaki. Maybe it was an Imagin.

"Well, it looked like a woman, dressed in a white kimono," continued Vash, making Makoto and Taisuke shiver. "And when she turned around…she had NO FACE!"

"OK, I agree with him!" Taisuke panicked. "Let's pack up and go!" He started to stand.

"Sit down!" Ryuji ordered. Taisuke did as told. "There are no ghosts here. The idiot here must've been imagining things."

"I am not!" denied Vash.

"Not an idiot or not imagining things?" asked Ryuji. "Pick one."

"I know what I saw! It was a ghost! It gave me the chills, man."

"Oh, for the love of Kami…" muttered Ryuji.

"How about we have some dinner first?" suggested Warren. "Then, we can go to bed. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"I'd like it if we left now," Vash mumbled.

"If you're going to bitch all night, do it in the van," Ryuji jabbed his finger at the vehicle. "I'm not in the mood to listen to your whining." Being away from Kotonoha like this just didn't feel right.

"OK, fine, I will," Vash crossed his arms, "But, don't come crying to me when you see a ghost too."

"When pigs grow wings and fly," snorted Ryuji.

* * *

The lights came on and Hikari exclaimed, "I felt something brush up against me!"

"What was it?" asked Nanami.

"I don't know but it felt…furry."

"A rat?" grimaced Sekai.

"No," Neko said as she pulled something out from behind her back. "A cat, actually." In her hands was a cute little cat with orange fur and black stripes. It was a bit on the tubby side. "Meet Garfield." She gently dropped the cat in front of her.

"Kawaii…" all the other girls, except for Kotonoha and Neko cooed at the cat who just stared up at them lazily.

"How did you get him here?" asked Otome.

"Neko-san actually brought Garfield-chan here yesterday," said Kotonoha.

"He kinda left a mess back at our place," said Neko. She didn't want to go to deep into detail. Garfield had been a handful lately on the GaroLiner. So, Neko had to take him out of the train for a bit until it was cleaned up. She just hoped Kenzaki would let her keep her pet.

"He's so cute," cooed Hikaru. Garfield looked up at her lazily before going over to his owners lap and snuggling himself upon it. Neko pet the cat gently, smiling.

* * *

"Alright, I know I'm the last person to be complaining about sleeping arrangements," spoke Ryuji in annoyance, "But why am I sharing a tent with _**them**_?" By 'them', he was referring to both Taisuke and Makoto.

"We all drew lots," Warren reminded. "You three got the same ones so you share the same tent."

"I would prefer sleeping alone," muttered Ryuji. "Maybe I can sleep in the van too. There's plenty of space."

Kenzaki chuckled, "I thought you liked 'roughing it'."

"There's a limit," Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "And sleeping with those two is already crossing that limit."

Warren sighed, "I know you don't like them that much, but you have to learn to get along with them eventually."

Ryuji scoffed, "Fat fucking chance."

"You've held onto this grudge for half a year," said Warren. "I gotta say that you should've already let go by now."

Makoto and Taisuke were of course discussing about the sleeping arrangements too, albeit more fearfully.

"We'll be sharing tents with him?" Taisuke gulped.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," said Makoto reassuringly but he had some doubts too.

"The guy hates us. He may kill us in our sleep."

"He won't do that."

"Itou's right," said Ryuji from behind them, causing Taisuke and Makoto to freeze. "I prefer it if my victims are WIDE AWAKE when I kill them. It makes it more satisfying when I can see and smell their fear." Both boys weren't sure if he was kidding or not.

"You don't really want to share a tent with us, do you?" asked Makoto hopefully.

"Personally, I'd rather sleep up in a tree," stated Ryuji. **"**But there are no good trees out here so there's nothing I can do about it."

"Oh man," Taisuke gulped.

"Oh, another warning," Ryuji commented as he looked up from his gear. "I am a light sleeper so watch it. If I'm having a good dream and you guys wake me up for no reason, prepare to die."

Both boys gulped audibly. Still, it was to note that at random intervals, Taisuke's consciousness would be swapped between his brain and his gonads. Upon hearing about good dreams and knowing about Kotonoha, his gonads ripped control for themselves.

"Soooo," he grinned. "Would good dreams involve Katsura?"

Ryuji's death glare immediately brought Taisuke's control back to his head, "Don't make me kick your ass, preferably in the most painful way possible."

Warren watched as Taisuke dashed off screaming into the tent. He just shook his head and went back to the fire.

"He's getting better already," Vash pointed out. "He would have killed that perv for a remark like that."

* * *

"So, what's it like to be married to a guy like Warren?" asked Hikari curiously. "And you really don't mind him having a relationship with another woman?"

"Teresa and Warren have a special bond," Raven explained. "He loves me, I know that to be true, but he also loves Teresa. That is why I allow him and Teresa to be together, as long as I am included of course."

"An open marriage, huh?" Nanami spoke. Raven nodded. "Didn't it bother you that you'd have to share him?"

"For a while, it did, but when I realised that they both loved each other and that I've started to love Teresa as my own sister, it was something I could live with. Warren loves us both, in different ways but also the same. Besides our love of Warren, Teresa and I have a lot in common."

"So, what made you fall for Warren in the first place?" asked Sekai.

"Well, before Warren, I had only been in one relationship," began Raven. "He merely used me to get what he wanted. I already had trust issues, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. When I met Warren, he was a notorious flirt. He simply wouldn't give up so I gave him one date to get him to leave me alone. It turned out to be a really good night. Given the chance, Warren can prove himself to be quite the gentleman. With him, I can be myself. He's the only person that I will ever love."

* * *

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" asked Warren as he saw Ryuji sitting at the campfire, poking at embers with a stick.

"Between the B.O. and drool, no," grimaced Ryuji. "What's your excuse?"

"Oh, no reason," Warren shrugged. "Just wanted to see how my kohai was doing."

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Again with this sempai-kohai crap, but he'd learnt to tolerate it. "Just doing a little thinking."

"Did you hurt yourself?" Warren joked as he sat down next to the world's Rider. Ryuji gave a him a cold hard glare. "Sorry, please continue."

"I don't really believe in fate, coincidences or soul mates, but the more I think of it, I knew there had to be a reason we ended up here," said Ryuji.

"Do you really not believe in fate?" Warren questioned.

"I think it's the idea that I have no actual free will that bothers me, that all my actions have already been determined," admitted Ryuji. "My life is my own, nobody is in control of it."

"You don't like to be controlled," Warren reasoned.

Ryuji stretched, "I'm a free spirit by nature. I follow my own rules and the path I pave for myself. If I find out that all my actions were in fact arranged by a god, I would be so pissed off."

Warren knew this well. Though Ryuki had forgiven his father, Libra, by now, Ryuji still held a grudge. Then again, his father had pretended to be dead for more then a decade so it was justified. That would be the root of Ryuji's problem, that he felt that Libra had been controlling him like some sort of puppet from the start.

"So, do you believe in fate and soul mates and all that junk?" Ryuji asked his sempai.

"Me?" asked Warren. "Not one bit. Fate just doesn't appeal to a guy like me. Why do you think my motto as a Rider is to 'shatter fate'? If I were to believe in fate, every thing I fight for would be pointless."

Ryuji gave a soft smile, pleased that his sempai was understanding and could agree with him. Suddenly, he noticed something at the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure what it was. It'd moved fast. Now Ryuji was on high alert as his eyes glowed ice blue. Maybe it was that 'ghost' Vash had been ranting about.

"What's wrong?" Warren asked.

"I saw something," Ryuji stated. "And I don't think it's anything good." He started to run off.

"Hey, not without me, kohai!" protested Warren as he began to follow.

"And quit it with that kohai crap!" Ryuji snapped.

"Never!" proclaimed Warren.

* * *

The girls were once again watching a movie only this time it was horror and Raven had brought it with her. It was the one movie that had actually scared her to the point of losing control of her powers but when she'd come to terms with her fear, it was alright. She'd gotten the "Wicked Scary" DVD with Japanese subtitles and language tracks and well all the girls were freaked out by the movie. Well, almost all of them. Raven had grown used to it and as for Kotonoha she was captivated. She was a true horror fan. Neko wasn't scared either and wanted to watch more while munching on some popcorn.

As soon as the movie ended and the end credits rolled, Kotonoha turned on the lights to see all her friends and gasped as they looked towards the TV screen, unblinking, with eyes wide open and clutching the cushions like their lives depended on it.

"What happened to them?" Kotonoha asked.

"I guess it was too much for them," said Raven and then she ejected the DVD and turned off the TV. "It was for me too."

"How long will they be like that?" Kotonoha asked worriedly.

"A few minutes," said Raven, "If the movie didn't completely traumatised them. This is the Director's Cut version with more blood and gore."

"Why are Americans so fixated on such movies?" sighed Kotonoha.

"I don't know but well I'm wondering why you're not scared," said Raven. "And you too," she aimed her eyes on Neko.

"Well, I've seen scarier things," Neko shrugged.

"And why should I be scared? It's only a movie. Besides, there are more frightening things," said Kotonoha calmly. True. She'd seen Sauron and her boyfriend fighting Imagin. Reality was more frightening than a movie. "But, I do pretend to be scares so I can cuddle with Senshi-kun."

Raven learnt quickly that Senshi-kun was the nickname Kotonoha had for Ryuji.

"Devious," Raven noted. "So, are you wondering what your boyfriend and my husband are up to right now?"

"A little and I'm..."

"Worried?" Raven supplied.

"That and I miss him," sighed Kotonoha. "Maybe I should give him a call but it's already late."

Raven said soothingly, "There's no need to worry. What's the worst that can happen to them?"

"Give him a call," Neko encouraged. "Which reminds me that I gotta give my Ken-kun a call too."

* * *

"See anything?" asked Warren.

"Again, no, and that's the 5th time you've asked me already," grumbled Ryuji.

The two were looking for the mysterious apparition that Ryuji had sighted. They were both holding flashlights to light the way and had wandered deep into the forest. So far they'd found nothing.

"So, you really don't know what we're chasing?" asked Warren.

"It's not a ghost because you would've sensed it by now," retorted Ryuji and suddenly he heard a loud boom. "What was that!?"

"Sounded like thunder," answered Warren. He then realised something, "Oh, no..."

Ryuji suddenly tensed up at the mention of thunder. He hated that loud crack that followed after lightning. It just hurt his ears and made him vulnerable. He HATED feeling vulnerable.

"Kohai, relax," said Warren. "There's not a cloud in the sky so it can't really be thunder."

Ryuji managed to calm down before another boom was heard. He was clutching onto the flashlight and shivering.

"Calm down," advised Warren.

"I am calm!" Ryuji snapped, unconvincingly. "Just, shut up and follow me."

* * *

"Zzzzzzz," Kenzaki snored as he slept away, dreaming of Neko and the stuff they could do together.

Suddenly, a ring tone sounded off, breaking Kenzaki out of his snores. Grumbling, he tossed his pillow over his head, "Shut the phone off!"

"Nnn!" Taisuke groaned from his tent. Kenzaki heard the tent entrance unzipping before the sound of the ringing phone could be head flying through the air.

"Dammit," Kenzaki groaned. "Lazy-ass perv."

Getting out of his tent, Kenzaki stumbled across the ground and grabbed the phone. Looking at it, he realized it was Ryuji's phone and Kotonoha was calling. Tapping the accept button after flipping it open, he held the phone to his ear.

"Yo," he yawned.

"_Kenzaki-san?_" Kotonoha's voice asked. "_Where's Ryuji-kun?_"

"Dunno," Kenzaki sighed. "Not here. Taisuke threw his phone out here and he's still alive so he must be with Warren."

Now Kotonoha knew she shouldn't worry. Her boyfriend was strong but he'd also gotten kidnap before so she had a good reason to be worried for his welfare. "_Are you sure you can't find him?_"

"Hey, he's got Warren watching his back so I don't see a reason to worry."

"_Just, tell Ryuji-kun to call me back. Bye_."

"Bye." Kenzaki flipped the phone close and wondered if something was wrong. Ryuji leaving his cell behind was downright careless if not stupid. Still, if Warren was out there (wherever it was) with him he didn't have to worry but knowing how Ryuji could get in trouble made Kenzaki feel a little concerned.

* * *

Kotonoha was up in her room sitting on the bed and looking at her cell phone. She had called to check up on her boyfriend but instead got Kenzaki. Something had to be wrong. Ryuji-kun NEVER went anywhere without his cell phone. Sand spilled out from Kotonoha and Athena formed, wearing a look of concern as well.

"Are you unwell, My Lady?" asked the Amazon Imagin.

"I'm just worried about Ryuji-kun," admitted Kotonoha.

"Well, he is a male, and they do tend to get into a lot of trouble by themselves," stated Athena. Kotonoha giggled at the joke.

"That's true, but I'm feeling a little uneasy about Ryuji-kun leaving his cell phone," said Kotonoha. She scrolled through the photo album inside of her phone and brought up a photo of herself and Ryuji, together and smiling at the camera. Ryuji rarely smiled except when he was with her.

The cell phone she had was an SB-Cell, just like the one Ryuji had and was technologically superior to the other phones of this world. It had a Vid-Phone option that allowed the speakers to see each other while they communicated, unlimited internet access, and a tracking device. In addition, it could convert into a gun for self defence or release a bright flash of light to blind and stun any attacker. Ryuji wanted Kotonoha to be safe so he'd gotten her the phone for her birthday.

It was as special to her as was the ice crystal he'd made for her and she knew it was something to keep her safe when he wasn't around.

Still, she couldn't help but worry. What was happening with Ryuji now?

* * *

"Do you get the strangest feeling that we're being watched?" asked Ryuji.

"All the time," replied Warren as he pointed up to the sky.

"Not what I meant," remarked Ryuji.

"I know," Warren chuckled. "And to answer your question, the answer is no. I don't feel like I'm being watched."

"Well I do," Ryuji growled. "And I don't like it."

As the two boys continued walking, the forest around them seemed to come to life, literally. In all the tree trunks, eyes began to open. All of them scanned the scenery, but then aimed down at the two young men. All the eyes then narrowed dangerously.

"Warren?" asked Ryuji.

"Yes, Ryuji?" Warren responded.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If you mean the eyes on trees looking right at us, then I am."

"Oh, OK. For a minute there I thought my mind was playing tricks on me."

The eyes continued to stare as the boys stared back silently before...

* * *

The clasp of the necklace around her neck suddenly broke and Kotonoha watched as the ice crystal Ryuji had made for her fell from her neck to the floor with a soft 'thunk'. She picked up the precious crystal hastily and examined at it. No cracks, thank goodness. But why had the clasp suddenly come undone? It didn't seem damaged.

She looked out her window, wondering what her lover was up to. Despite his powers, strengths and abilities, he was still human (so to speak) and had weaknesses and vulnerabilities. The time when he'd gone missing and had been broken was still fresh in her mind.

She was also concerned for both Taisuke and Makoto. Even if they'd hurt her, they were still friends but because Ryuji could hold a grudge for a really long time she was worried for their safety since they could unconsciously raise Ryuji's ire. They had done some things that Ryuji saw as inexcusable. Makoto had broken her heart and Taisuke had tried to take advantage of her.

Ryuji, while hormonal like most boys, could rein in his urges, at least to a certain extent. Still Kotonoha would also seduce him at times which would end up with them making love, sometimes for hours. Those had to be the best times of her life.

Glancing back at the pendant, she wondered if it was a sign or warning that it'd suddenly dropped from her neck. Ryuji had already vocally told her that he didn't believe in fate, destiny or even soul mates, but she still clung to those beliefs and he never once ridiculed her. Maybe, deep down, he did believe they were soul mates but was too stubborn to admit it. Regardless, the fact that he'd met her in the past while chasing after an Imagin was proof enough for her. Ryuji was her soul mate that fate had brought for her. He was hers as she was his, now and forever.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sands of Time, a certain time train known as the ChronoLiner was carrying a special passenger. This one had red eyes and wore a bored expression on her face as she sat in the passenger car. She had in her hand a photograph of herself with a beautiful white-haired woman and a younger girl with short black hair.

"Damn it," she muttered. She looked out the window. Not much but a barren desert with some rock formations, hills and mountains. She wondered if she could do some rock climbing here on her free time.

"Rosie-chan would've liked seeing this," the passenger said as she looked up at the rainbow colored sky. "Yep, she definitely would've loved this."

The young woman was going to visit some relatives who lived in an alternate timeline from her own. They would be surprised to see her and she was going to make an impression. Sitting next to her on the aisle seat was a boy, no older than 15, with blonde hair, gold eyes, and whisker marks on his cheeks. He was playing a PSP and basically ignoring everything else and had on earphones so he could listen to the sounds of his game.

She gave her younger companion a glance before returning her gaze towards the window. She was no babysitter but this boy was her partner, whether she liked it or not.

Why couldn't she have gotten someone older and more mature?

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Wonder who's coming to visit? Is the forest truly haunted? Well, if you want answers, then wait for the next chapter!


	11. New School Year and New Surprises

_Kotonoha looked around her. It was dark, and scary, and she didn't like it. It was like a prison. She could see bars slamming down all around her as chains rattled from the ceiling. Where was she?_

_She heard something akin to an animal's roar and against common sense she walked towards the source instead of running away from it. She just felt drawn to it…_

_She then saw what it was. It was a human figure and he was chained to the wall by his wrists and ankles. He continued to struggle and Kotonoha felt fear and also…sympathy for this poor creature. He was human, she could tell, with long dark hair and dressed in a full black bodysuit…_

_He sensed her presence and looked up at her with cold blue eyes. She gasped at the iron muzzle that was strapped to his face. She could hear his muffled screams and she recognised him._

_It was…_

* * *

Kotonoha woke up crying and then looked over her side at the boy sleeping next to her. She panted and wiped her tears away. The boy next to her in bed began to stir and his eyes fluttered open. He looked over at his bed-mate and his eyes widened in alarm at his ears. Instantly, he was holding her in a gentle embrace, soothingly stroking her hair as she began to cry.

"What's wrong, Koto-chan?" Ryuji asked, confused and worried. Why was she crying?

"I saw it," she said as he hugged him back. "I saw your prison." He stiffened for a second before relaxing.

"Oh, you saw it," he acknowledged. She had gone into his mind.

"And I saw you, in it, chained up like an animal," she added. "How could…how could Ryuki-san be so cruel?"

Ryuji closed his eyes. "He wasn't being cruel." He paused. "He was just trying to protect his friends from me, knowing what I was."

"But you would never…"

"Back then I would've. I was a different person then. I was evil."

"Don't say that!" she tightened her hold on him. She didn't want to hear him condemning himself again.

"Koto-chan, you know I can't lie about what I was back then. I never gave Ryuki enough of a reason to trust me. He had to lock me up."

"It's still cruel…to be a prisoner like that…" she sobbed.

"I know," he smiled gently. "But that's in the past. Now I'm free and I'm not going away."

"Then give me proof that you're really here and won't go away."

The two spent the rest of the night comforting each other.

* * *

Kotonoha Katsura had dreamt of becoming the wife of a good man. Any man would be lucky enough to have her for a wife. She was beautiful, diligent, hardworking, and faithful. Due to an incident in junior high she'd been afraid of boys and after entering high school she'd gained some attention from boys but all of it was because of her large bust. They were never really interested in her for her, just for her appearance. This was what made some of the girls dislike her.

Then, she began noticing a boy checking her out on the train she used to get to school each day. He would just glance at her while she was reading. He never knew that she too was checking her out. It'd gone on up until the beginning of the second term.

Then she met Sekai who became her friend and then set her up to meet Makoto who would become her boyfriend. At first Makoto had no idea how to treat her on a date and then he took her to see a romantic movie (she'd wanted to see a zombie) movie. He'd tried to kiss her, resulting in a slap.

Then, they shared their first kiss which would officially begin their relationship.

She'd loved Makoto. He made her so happy, but then he started to ignore and avoid her and it was all because of Sekai who she thought was her friend. Betrayed and confused, she decided to end her life by jumping off a building.

Plans would usually hit a snag and so did hers, and that snag was named Ryuji Hasuma.

She'd met Ryuji in the middle of the second term. He was one of the new transfer students and he'd taken the seat next to hers. They'd become friends after he stood up for her, telling off Otome and her friends for being noisy but she knew he was standing up for her. She could tell.

For some reason he'd been there and saved her life. She didn't remember much of what'd happened before. One minute she was plummeting to her death and the next moment she was being held protectively in his arms. He'd comforted her and took her home and Kotonoha felt the same thing she'd felt for Makoto when with him but she still had feelings for Makoto even after what'd happened.

At school she and Ryuji grew closer as friends. He even helped her with her student council work and helped her out during the school festival's preparations. Makoto had been avoiding her again and she was feeling lost without him but Ryuji chased those feelings away with his concern.

One night during the festival Taisuke Sawanaga had tried to take advantage of her, tearing open her jacket and throwing off her bowtie. Before he could take a kiss from her, by force, Ryuji had once again come to her rescue and violently pounded Taisuke to the ground. She managed to stop him before he went too far and once again he comforted her.

He'd insisted that they do the folk dance out in front of the bonfire and it was there and then that Kotonoha decided to check if her feelings for him were real. She'd asked him to kiss her. The kiss was indescribable. There was some sort of electricity, some sort of spark that came from the kiss and she knew, right there and then, that she'd fallen in love again with this boy who was rough around the edges but also kind and gentle.

Since then her dreams had been filled of images of him and her, married, as husband and wife.

* * *

**"NEW SCHOOL YEAR AND NEW SURPRISES"**

* * *

In the past, Ryuji never really truly understood the concept of love and happiness. Being composed of mainly negative emotions and representing Ryuki's negative aspects was part of the reason. The other reason was that he could only experience those kinds of emotions from Ryuki's memories and through his eyes. He never really felt them like a normal person would until that day when they had ended up in this world and he'd finally gotten a body of his own.

It had taken the ChronoLiner Riders team two weeks to integrate themselves into the society as well as teaching Ryuji the difference between right and wrong. Even being within Ryuki's mind hadn't helped as he'd been isolated and it'd made him both increasingly unstable and unpredictable. The only reason he had been going along with it was because of the promises of freedom.

That day when he'd met Kotonoha was the first time he ever truly felt anything instead of leeching off Ryuki's emotions. He started to actually care about her. The feeling was like the first thing Ryuki had felt when he first met the girls that would become his girlfriends.

He experienced love and happiness for the first time with Kotonoha and openly displayed his emotions. Of course there was one emotion he would never acknowledge…Fear.

Ryuji Hasuma (also known as Kamen Rider Ifrit and the Ifrit Orphenoch) was by no stretch of the imagination a coward. Of course, even he knew the difference between bravery and foolishness. Seeing the eyes staring right at them, Ryuji did what any normal guy would do when it came to ghosts.

He screamed and grabbed onto Warren's wrist, dragging him along as they ran back towards the campsite. Now he was convinced that they needed to get out of this place and fast.

"Oi! Ryuji!" shouted Warren as branches smacked him in the face but Ryuji wasn't listening. "Damn it, kohai! Calm down!" Another branch smacked his face. "Hey!"

Ryuji may not have had a phobia of ghosts like his father, but even he couldn't fight ghosts. Ghosts were incorporeal and his fists would just go right through then and he never even thought of using his powers, which wouldn't have worked on ghosts either.

Ryuji stopped a short distance away from the 'eye trees' and let his hold on Warren slip away before placing his hands onto his knees, panting. He turned to look at Warren as he wiped the sweat off his brow and gaped as he saw his friend and sempai picking leaves off his hair and some bugs off his face.

"Peh!" Warren spat out some leaves. "You know I could've checked if it was a ghost or something."

"So, what if it was?" Ryuji shot back. "I can't fight ghosts!"

Warren gave his kohai a quizzical look and deduced, "You're afraid of ghosts, aren't you?"

"No," Ryuji denied. "I ain't afraid of nothing." He looked away. Not exactly true. He was afraid of thunder but he wasn't going to publicly announce that. He had a reputation to uphold. "I just can't hit them. My fists would go right through ghosts and not to mention my powers."

"But Ryuki..." Warren began.

"Ryuki's the psychic," Ryuji interrupted, blurting out his lack of psychic abilities. "I ain't psychic. When we were split up he kept his psychic powers and I kept the ice and Orphenoch powers."

Warren blinked. That was new. Ryuki hadn't told him about that.

"Now, come on and let's go," Ryuji insisted. "The sooner we wake the idiots up the better. I feel like I'm in a bad Halloween Special."

Ryuji walked ahead of Warren who shrugged and followed. Suddenly, they all heard their friends' screams. Exchanging looks, the two Riders quickly ran towards the campsite.

When they arrived, Warren and Ryuji were seeing the biggest black cat they'd ever seen with glowing red eyes and really sharp teeth. It let out a hiss at both Ryuji and Warren.

"I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with this forest," stated Warren.

"What tipped you off?" Ryuji frowned. He eyed the cat. "Hey, kitty, how about a cold shower?" He aimed his hands at the cat and fired a blizzard from his hands. The giant cat vanished before being hit. "Kuso..."

Warren went to check on the others and saw that Makoto, Taisuke and Vash were huddled together in fear. When they saw Warren they screamed but calmed down after several seconds. However, Kenzaki was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, urusei, teme!" Ryuji yelled. "Where's Kenzaki?"

"We don't know!" Taisuke wailed. "But we gotta get out of here!"

Suddenly, Ryuji's watch began to beep and the compass activated which would point Ryuji towards the direction of an Imagin. His eyes narrowed. '_Cheh, I should've known. An Imagin_.' He told Warren, "Warren, you watch these guys and pack up. I'm gonna go find Kenzaki." He then rushed off.

"Where is he going?" Makoto asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about it," Warren assured, "Let's get ready to leave. You guys can bond in the van later."

* * *

Ryuji followed the compass and called out, "Henshin!" as he ran through the forest.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

His armor formed over him and the transformation was finished.

When he arrived at the scene, he could see Garoh in his Savage Form fighting a creature he could identify as an Imagin. It looked like a magician with a tattered cape and tuxedo, top hat and a staff topped with a skull. Its entire face was black with red eyes.

Ryuji formed his Ifrit Dao and then tossed one of them like a boomerang at the Magic Imagin. It dodged to the side and the sword lodged itself in a tree. Garoh took notice of his fellow Rider and waved, "**Yo! You're late!**"

Ifrit snorted, hefting his sword on his shoulder. Of all the forms to choose from he was using the one associated with a perverted firestarter. "Yeah, I'm here, just don't start any fires!" He then demanded from the Imagin, "Hey, are you the one making those ghosts appear?"

The Magic Imagin chuckled, "Wouldn't you want to know?"

"Then I got a bone to pick with you!" growled Ifrit as the sword in the tree vanished before reappearing in his free hand. He popped his neck from side to side and charged.

Garoh shot at the Imagin who deflected all the bullets with its staff but Ifrit got in close and slashed at it. He used his staff to block all of Ifrit's strikes before jabbing the head of his staff into Ifrit's gut. Grunting, Ifrit held on and attacked once more with Garoh landing a hand. They struck at the slippery Magic Imagin.

The Imagin then removed his hat and a flock of pigeons flew out of it which attacked the Riders by pecking them. Sparks flew from the pecks and then some of the birds above them dropped explosive eggs on them.

"Heh, you're not so tough. Nanimo said you were," the Imagin snickered.

Ifrit's eyes narrowed at the mention of Nanimo's name and his blue aura flared. Anything his aura touched became frozen in ice and unfortunately for the pigeons it was them. "I'm going to kill you!"

Ifrit charged but then a box rose up in front of him. It opened up and he ran right inside before it closed. He tried to break his way out but to no avail.

Garoh aimed his gun at the Imagin but instead of bullets, flowers came out. The Magic Imagin grinned before another box rose up behind Garoh. The Imagin then threw his staff like a spear and knocked Garoh backwards into the box which closed. Reaching into its hat again, the Magic Imagin pulled out a sword.

"And for my next trick..." it said as he walked forward.

"_Sorry, but shows over_," said a voice and the Imagin looked around.

"Who's there!" the Imagin demanded.

"_Your worst nightmare_," the voice answered.

"Bet I know yours," the Magic Imagin snickered and used his power to create several scary looking female ghosts. "You scared now?" Instead, it got haunting laughter.

"_You think this is gonna scare me? You're pathetic!_"

Now the Magic Imagin was getting angry. "Show yourself!"

"_OK, you asked for it._" He then added, "_Oh, and wanna see something REALLY scary?_"

The entire forest around the Imagin changed into a void of darkness and then the Imagin heard the voice everywhere.

"_You're just a fraud._"

"_A phony_."

"_Using tricks and illusions for kicks_."

"_You're nothing_."

"_You're nobody_."

"_Not even worth my time."_

"Shut up!" the Imagin ordered, pointing its staff around itself. "Come out, you coward!"

"_Hey, why do I have to waste my time on you?_" The darkness began to warp into the most horrifying images the Imagin had ever seen in its short life. "_Besides, now it's time for death to claim you!_"

Chains made of darkness suddenly burst from the ground and bound the Imagin in place, pinning it legs together and arms to its side. It dropped its staff and began to struggle. What was going on!

It could see red eyes staring at it and red mouths filled with sharp black teeth. The faces were laughing at it. "Make it stop!"

…

…

…

"_OK._"

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The darkness faded and the Imagin could only watch helplessly as a fireball flew right at the evil Imagin. The ball of flames exploded and engulfed the Magic Imagin in fire. Then, Ifrit followed up by slashing at the Imagin with his energized Ifrit Dao.

"My turn!" Wraith shouted as he rushed at the Imagin and then executed a powerful front kick into its chest. The Imagin was flung backwards before exploding into oblivion.

The three Riders stood together victoriously after finishing off the Imagin.

"So, _now_ can we leave?" asked Ifrit.

* * *

Several days had passed since the incident during the camping trip. Ryuji had told Kotonoha about it and how frustrating it was because an Imagin had ruined his fun. He wondered if his life was always going to be about fighting Imagin.

At least watching the cherry blossoms in bloom had been fun. The gang had a huge picnic and Otome even brought along her friends who finally decided to follow their leader's example and make peace with Kotonoha. Whether it was because of guilt or fear for Ryuji, at least they were making an effort.

Time flew by and soon it was the start of the new school year. Ryuji hated school but he knew he had little choice as Loki opened the curtains to let the sunshine in and woke him up. Groggily, Ryuji got out of bed and headed for the shower.

Dressed in his uniform, Loki suggested he make himself look presentable for the first day of school. Though he initially refused, Loki had decided to possess him and tidied up Ryuji's appearance against his will so now he had his tie straight on, his shirt tucked, his jacket buttoned up and his hair in a neat braid, much to Ryuji's chagrin. He would just go back to his usual punk-like appearance before school started anyway.

Today was special. Ryuji had asked Loki to help him make something for Kotonoha. It was a strawberry shortcake and despite several failed attempts, he was finally able to make a proper cake for himself and Kotonoha to share during lunch. It'd taken him no longer than four hours to make but it was worth it.

Ryuji ran out the door with the cake in a box at hand as Loki waved, "Have a safe journey!" Ryuji reluctantly waved back at his partner/servant/guardian before making his way to the station. From there, he got on the train that would take him to Sakakino High.

As he sat down, Ryuji mused in his thoughts, '_I can't believe it's been half a year since I decided to stay here._' Indeed, Ryuji had become a resident in this timeline less than 6 months ago and all for love. This strawberry shortcake was a half year anniversary present that he'd made for Kotonoha and would share with her. She didn't know about the anniversary but she'd already given him her present. It was her love that was the gift and he'd cherished it.

When the train stopped at Kotonoha's station, Ryuji blinked in confusion. "Where is she?" The girl hadn't come into the train nor was she waiting at the station. The doors then closed. Ryuji frowned. Just where was his girlfriend? Did she oversleep or something? No way would Athena let that happen. So, where was she?

Ryuji walked through the school's gate in not the best of moods. He was still holding the cake box in his hand. The best part of his day would be to see Kotonoha and ride the train with her to school but she wasn't even at the station. Letting out a sigh, he continued on his way towards the building.

He wasn't aware of his surrounding so someone suddenly bumped into him from behind. He momentarily lost balance and was about to fall forward but regained it before he hit the ground. However, the cake box had fallen out of his hand and...

SPLAT!

Now a foot was planted into the cardboard box and the cake. Ryuji's eyes widened and then flashed dangerously as he looked up the foot and then the leg before going up the torso to see none other than Taisuke Sawanaga.

"Oh, sorry!" Taisuke apologized, chuckling. "Didn't see you there." Taisuke then felt the temperature fall. "Ano...Hasuma?"

"Do you…" Ryuji began to growl, "…have any idea...how long it took for me...to make that?" He grabbed Taisuke by the collar of his shirt, "DO YOU!" he roared. Taisuke was in for a world of pain now as Ryuji shook him back and forth, "IT TOOK ME FOUR HOURS! FOUR HOURS!" Taisuke was then in a headlock and struggling to get free before he suffocated, "AND IT TOOK ME DAYS TO LEARN THAT RECIPE JUST TO MAKE IT RIGHT!" he then decided to finish it with a pile-driver, "AND YOU FUCKING RUINED IT!"

SLAM!

Taisuke lay limply on the ground as Ryuji breathed heavily. He noticed everyone staring at him and got annoyed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT!" he shouted and they looked away in fear. "Good," he smirked before he left a broken and bruised Taisuke twitching on the ground. He looked at the cherry blossom trees that were planted around the school and smiled. "Well, at least the cherry blossoms look nice," he said calmly, "Now to see my new class assignment."

* * *

"Yo, man!" Vash showed up and sat next to Ryuji. "Why didn't you wake me up?" Vash, Ryuji's new partner, and (much to his annoyance) roommate was in their class. It was class 2-4. Ryuji had seen the list of the students in this class and was both happy and annoyed. Happy because he and Kotonoha were in the same class again, and annoyed because he was also classmates with Makoto and Taisuke. Neko and Kenzaki were also in the class but hadn't arrived yet, same with Otome and Sekai. Otome's posse were in a different class and so were Nanami and Hikari.

"I had plans," muttered Ryuji.

"Well, anyway, I heard what you did to Sawanaga," Vash stated.

"After what he did, he deserved it," Ryuji snorted.

"Yeah..." Vash could see that Ryuji was still in a bad mood. He then smiled and waved at the door, "Oh, Kotonoha!" Ryuji looked up to see Kotonoha entering and smiled as she came in, also smiling at him. "Good morning!"

"Ohayo, Vash-san," Kotonoha bowed. "Ohayo, Ryuji-kun."

"Ohayo," Ryuji stood up and returned the bow, blushing. Her smile then turned into a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Ryuji-kun, you promised to make a new beginning," frowned Kotonoha. "But then I heard you injured Sawanaga-san. Why?" Ryuji looked away, muttering under his breath. "Ryuji-kun?" She caressed his cheek and turned his head over to look at her. "Tell me what happened."

Ryuji simply couldn't resist her when she spoke to him or looked at him with those eyes. He answered, "Because he ruined our cake."

"Our cake?" she echoed.

"Yes, it was a strawberry shortcake that Loki taught me how to bake." He rubbed the back of his head. "It was for our half year anniversary and well...he stepped on it."

"So you beat him up because he ruined something you made for me?" she said neutrally.

"Yes," he nodded.

"That's so sweet!" Kotonoha exclaimed as she hugged his head to her chest. Vash snickered.

When Makoto and Sekai entered the classroom, Makoto was ready to make his escape at the sight of Ryuji. Knowing how much Ryuji disliked him, he thought he was going to get beaten up too but Sekai forced him to come into class with her. "Ohayo!" Sekai greeted.

"Ah, Sekai-san!" Kotonoha let go of Ryuji. "Ohayo."

Sekai and Kotonoha now called each other by their given names but even though Sekai would not use honorifics, Kotonoha would still use them out of habit.

"Ohayo, Kotonoha," greeted Makoto.

"Ohayo, Makoto-kun," Kotonoha smiled warmly at her ex.

"Ohayo, Itou," said Ryuji with a frown. Makoto gulped.

"Ohayo, Hasuma," Makoto greeted, head bowed.

"Guess what?" Sekai smiled. "Setsuna's back!"

"Kiyoura?" Ryuji blinked. "I thought she moved to Paris."

"Oh, she did, but she came back and surprised me yesterday," smiled Sekai, grateful to have her best friend back. "She's living with me now."

"So where is she?" Kotonoha asked.

"Ohayo," greeted Setsuna. Ryuji blinked at her sudden appearance. When had she come in? She didn't even make a sound. Her eyes focused on Ryuji. "So, you're still here, Hasuma-san."

"And you're back, Kiyoura," added Ryuji. Personally, he didn't have anything against Setsuna. It was just that she was one of the reasons Kotonoha had broken down in the original timeline. Still, Ryuji could be forgiving...sometimes.

"Ohayo, minna!" Neko greeted as she hopped into class with Kenzaki next to her.

"Ohayo," Kotonoha greeted her future sister-in-law. With Neko was her boyfriend, Kenzaki.

"Looks like the gang's all here," smirked Sekai.

"Hey, what about me?" saluted Otome as she came in after Neko and Kenzaki. "Yo, Katsura!"

"Ohayo, Otome-san," Kotonoha bowed. Setsuna quirked an eyebrow. Just how long had she been gone?

The door slid open which had the students scramble back to their seats. Ryuji had shoved Vash off the seat next to him and allowed Kotonoha to sit by his side. A man came into the classroom. He was a teacher dressed in a black turtleneck with a white pants and a jacket, but that wasn't what struck the students as odd nor was it his white hair. Well, his white hair was also odd but not as odd as his familiar face.

"Good morning, class," he greeted while fixing his glasses. "I'm going to be your new homeroom teacher and your History teacher. Oh, and by the way, the name's Warren Smith." He gave a peace sign and smile, "Just don't mess with me and everything will be just fine."

* * *

Meanwhile, in class 2-3 where Hikari, Nanami and Otome's posse were assigned to, their new teacher was coming in. It was a pale young woman with long violet hair that came down to her waist wearing a violet shirt and a black skirt that came down to her knees. Nanami and Hikari recognised her and she then stood behind the teacher's podium.

"Good morning, class. My name is Rachel Smith and from today onwards I'll be your homeroom teacher and English teacher as well." Her eyes narrowed, "And you better not get on my bad side or else."

* * *

"**NANI!**"

* * *

"The Kamen Riders?" Setsuna questioned. "Yes, I know of them. Sekai lets me know about them through email."

It was currently lunch period and right now Sekai, Setsuna, Hikari, and Nanami were having lunch together, outside, like they had done before.

"So, what do you think of them?' asked Nanami curiously.

"I'm not really sure," said Setsuna. "I thought heroes like that were only found on TV, in manga or fairy tales."

"Well, they are real!" said Hikari cheerfully. "And Ifrit is the best!"

"That's because he saved you that one time," Nanami chuckled.

"Hey, I was in the arms of a hero!" sighed Hikari. "Just like in a dream." Of course most of her dreams had revolved around Taisuke but her interest in him had gone down recently.

Setsuna then spoke to Sekai, "So, I see you and Makoto are still together."

"Yeah, it's been great," Sekai smiled. "We've been going steady."

"And Katsura-san has also found herself a new boyfriend," stated Setsuna. "But why Hasuma-san?"

"Let's just say that he may not be as bad as he seems," said Hikari, envious of Kotonoha. "He's a lot nicer than he wants people to think."

Setsuna still didn't understand how someone as sweet as Kotonoha could end up with a punk like Ryuji but she would get her answers soon.

"So, how was Paris?" asked Sekai.

"It was a different experience," shrugged Setsuna.

* * *

Ryuji rolled out of the way of the attack, which would've chopped off a chunk of his body had he not evaded it. Looking up, his eyes widened at the appearance of the attacker who was armed with a pair of identical battle axes.

He'd originally been waiting for Kotonoha to have lunch with her. They would've gone up to the roof together but she'd volunteered to help out with something at the staff room. He decided to wait for her on the roof when suddenly he got himself attacked.

He had a lot of things on his mind. Well, not really a lot of things. Warren and Raven becoming teachers was a shocker. How they managed to do that didn't surprise him at all since they could pull strings to get the jobs. He just never expected them to be teachers here. He would ask them later after final period…if he survived till then.

Then there was Setsuna. She was back and he just kept getting this odd vibe from her.

"You!" he growled. His attacker stared with crimson eyes. "Fine, if it's a fight you want then I'll oblige! Henshin!"

* * *

Kotonoha was running up the stairs to meet up wither boyfriend. In her arms was a picnic basket she'd filled with their lunch. She was going to surprise him with her improved cooking skills when she heard a sound that made her panic. It was the sound of metal clashing against metal and she knew what it meant.

'_Ryuji-kun's in a fight!_'

She dashed up to the entrance of the roof and threw the door open. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of her beloved in armor fighting against an unfamiliar Rider.

Yes, somehow she knew it was another Kamen Rider. She'd seen several different Riders to know what to look for.

The other Rider was definitely female judging by the design of the armor that seemed to fit over the curves of the body. The bodysuit was white and hugged the Rider's body like a second skin. There were black tiger stripes on the sleeves, legs and the side of the body. Over this she wore black torso armor, gauntlets and boots, also with white tiger stripes. Tiger paws and claws made up the shoulder armor. Her helmet sported a pair of red eyes and pointed ears. Above the eyes was a visor with black horizontal slits. The silver mouthguard was framed by fangs. What frightened Kotonoha the most were the weapons this female Rider was armed with. She was holding a pair of huge battle axes that could do a whole lot of damage with the right amount of force being applied behind them.

Her boyfriend was in Loki Form and using the Loki Slicer to parry the blows. Sparks flew as the weapons made impact with each other.

Ifrit took notice of Kotonoha and shouted, "**Koto-chan, nigerro! Hayaku!**" This caused the female Rider to turn her eyes towards Kotonoha.

"Oh, and who's this cutie?" the female Rider purred. Suddenly, an axe went whizzing past Kotonoha's head, dangerously close to her neck. Several strands of hair fell to the floor. "Whoopsie!" the Rider laughed. "Bit of a close shave there, wasn't it? You should really try and be more careful." She paused a moment. "Or should that be me?" she mused as the axe returned to her. She turned to look at an enraged Ifrit. "Aw, how cute. You're mad. Is she your little girlfriend?" she purred. "That will make wiping the floor with you all the sweeter!" She suddenly snarled. Twirling her axes around, she rushed at him, attacking aggressively with Kotonoha rooted to the spot, eyes locked on the fight.

'_Lady Kotonoha!_' she heard Athena. '_Run! Do as he says and run!_' But Kotonoha wasn't listening. '_Run!_' Kotonoha only backed away when she bumped into somebody. Turning around, she saw that it was Kenzaki and Neko and neither looked happy.

"Kuso," cussed Kenzaki. "Why did she have to be here?"

"I know she says she would drop by, but I didn't think it would be like this," scowled Neko.

"You know her?" Kotonoha asked.

"Too well," Kenzaki answered.

"She's just someone who likes to make a showy entrance, that's all," Neko continued to frown.

The mysterious female Rider then leapt back from a vertical swing, snickering, before bounding off the fence and then throwing one of her axes at Ifrit. He blocked it and it went spinning through the air before getting stuck to the rooftop. However, she was still coming for him and swung down, forcing him to lock blades with her. She continued to push down as he struggled. He could see her grinning under that mask of hers.

"Kat-neechan! Yamette kudasai!" yelled Neko which made the female Rider and Kotonoha freeze.

"Nee…chan?" Kotonoha repeated.

Kenzaki shook his head, "Unfortunately."

The female Rider sighed and disengaged Ifrit before backing off. She then dropped her remaining axe and reached down to her belt. Pushing a switch at the top, the buckle, which depicted a golden tiger crest on a white background, closed up and ejected a card. She took the card out as the armor and belt vanished.

It was a girl, their age, with long black hair. She was dressed in a white tank top and black leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She wore a denim miniskirt and black cowboy boots. Around her neck was a choker and in her hair was a black bow ribbon. She had red eyes and what surprised Kotonoha was her resemblance to Neko.

"Why did you have to stop me, imouto?" asked the Neko-look-alike.

"Because I didn't want you to lose control and wreck the school," Neko answered.

"That's right," agreed Gekiryuken.

"As if she had any control to begin with," muttered Kenzaki.

"Heh, sorry, but I was getting bored. What took you so long anyway?" said Kat.

Kotonoha finally found her voice after Ryuji reverted back to normal. "Who…who are you?"

"I'm known by many names, ojou-chan," the girl who looked like Neko answered. "Now I'm known as Kamen Rider CopyKat, but you can call me Kat Hasuma. I'm Ryuji and Neko's big sis."

Kotonoha was stunned. Their sister? And a Rider too?

Kenzaki snorted, "How did someone like you end up as a Rider?"

"You get a mask, own a ride, and you're automatically a Rider," Kat shrugged.

"That's not how it works," Kenzaki remarked.

"I know that, I'm just kidding," Kat grinned. "Geez, you sure are uptight, you big bad wolf. Not getting any from my imouto?" She watched as both Kenzaki and Neko blushed uncomfortably. "I see nothing's changed." She smiled like a cat. She then took notice of Kotonoha and approached her but Ryuji quickly stood in her way. "Oh, puh-leeze. I'm not gonna hurt her."

"Let's just say it's a bit hard to trust you," responded Ryuji.

"Coming from you, that doesn't mean much," Kat remarked. She sniffed the air, "She smells just like you and…" she sniffed again, "You smell just like her." Her grin widened, revealing predatory fangs, "Care to tell me something?" She was amused by the way both Ryuji and Kotonoha blushed. "Oh, this is too much for me!" she laughed.

"Can you please be serious?" growled Ryuji but the blush was still there.

"OK, fine, we can talk but is there anything to eat?" she asked. Everyone facefaulted. "Was it something I said?"

* * *

Setsuna exited the girls' bathroom when all of a sudden a golden orb darted into her body. Sand spilled out from her and then reformed into a pile right in front of her. The pile then took the shape of a humanoid figure from the waist up with its lower half and legs dangling above it.

"Tell me your wish, any wish, and I will grant it and all I want in return is one thing," the sand creature said.

* * *

"GIN-SHOCKER?" asked Ryuji as he chewed on a sandwich. Everyone was sitting on a picnic blanket and eating the lunch Kotonoha had prepared. Luckily she'd made plenty.

"Oh, it's this evil organization that suddenly surfaced not too long ago," explained Kat, her voice suddenly turning darker and uglier. "They kidnap people, brainwash them, and then mutate them before fitting them with cybernetic parts, turning them into obedient and loyal mutant cyborg soldiers."

"That's horrible!" Kotonoha exclaimed in shock. Were these people in GIN-SHOCKER really human to be so cruel?

"You're telling me," Kat growled. There was a definite edge of barely repressed fury there. One could only guess what might have happened between Kat and GIN-SHOCKER for that fury to be born. With a noticeable effort, Kat shrugged it off and continued in a slightly more normal tone. "Well, things got really bad but lucky for Ryuki and me we got reinstated as Knights." She showed them the card. It depicted Byakko the White Tiger. She grinned, "Pretty sweet, huh? He's got one too, Seiryu the Azure Dragon."

"Anyone else?" Ryuji asked curiously. Was this the huge thing that Warren had told him about that Ryuki was involved with? It would seem so.

"Oh, Ichijyo and Takada too. Ichijyo got the Genbu the Black Turtle and Takada's got Suzaku the Red Phoenix." It seemed appropriate seeing that the black turtle represented wisdom and the red phoenix represented immortality, which fit the traits of the two former Zodiac Knights.

"I kind of find it a bit hard to believe that you got chosen for this," said Kenzaki with his arms crossed.

Suddenly, they heard a voice coming from the card. It was male and also childish, "_Oi, Big Sis, where are you at?_"

Kat sighed and spoke back, "I'm meeting my bro and my sis, Bobby. Geez, be patient."

"_You said you were gonna get us something to eat._"

"In a minute! Just watch yer anime!"

"_OK, OK, fine. Geez, temperamental much._" The other voice broke off the link.

Kat sighed and got weird looks. "Oh, I also forgot to mention that we got partners too. Mine is Bobby and believe it or not he's the Spirit of the White Tiger."

"He sounded like a kid," Ryuji pointed out.

"And acts like a bratty and annoying little brother," Kat sighed. "But I gotta live with him anyway since it's his power I'm using. His powers are kinda sealed but I am able to access them to transform."

"So you're borrowing power," Kenzaki smirked.

"No different from you when you use your Imagin, Kenny," Kat shot back.

"Don't call me 'Kenny', you psychopath," growled Kenzaki.

"Ken-kun," hissed Neko. She didn't want another fight to break out.

Kat gave Kenzaki an icy stare and said, "Oh, come on, I thought you got over the whole 'I killed your family' crap years ago. Looks like you can hold a grudge. What a shocker. And, correction, I'm more of a sociopath than a psychopath. Get your terms right next time, Kenny-poo."

Kotonoha leaned closer to Ryuji. "Killed his family?" she asked.

"Very long story," Ryuji said. "I'll tell you later, Tenshi-chan."

Kenzaki turned to Neko. "Can I at least break her legs?"

"No," Neko said firmly. "She's not your target, remember? It's the Living Gate's fault." She then turned towards her dark half and sister, "So, Kat-neechan, how did you get here?"

Kat smiled and answered cheerfully, "Well, you know how Ryuki's the co-owner of the ChronoLiner. Well, I asked him for a ticket here since I wanted to visit my lil bro and sis."

"That's not the only reason, is there?" Ryuji asked. There had to be something more. Kat never dropped by without a good reason. He then realized what it was. She had done something like this before it the past. He then said drylu, "You got into a fight with your wife, didn't you?"

Kotonoha gasped in shock. "You mean, she's a..."

"Yup," Ryuji nodded, "And she's proud of it. She once ran away after having a fight with her. So, is it true that you got into a fight with Rose?"

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, she admitted, "Yeah, I kinda did...we got into a bit of an argument, really..." Neko and Ryuji sighed. Of course.

"Did she finally realize how insane you are?" asked Kenzaki. Kat glared.

"No, she fell in love with me despite that," Kat grumbled. "We just had differing views on parenting. We got into some disagreements about how to raise our kid."

"Cathy-chan, right?" Neko said bluntly.

"Honestly, I want our little girl to freely express herself but Rosie-chan thinks that too much freedom is a bad thing. We argued and then I said some things I shouldn't have said before getting kicked out of the house. I'm gonna be staying away for a bit until she finally cools down."

"Uh…better hope for a long-term stay then," Ryuji chuckled. "Last I heard she was just as stubborn as you!"

"Why do you think I fell for her?" Kat smiled. "She's my other half."

"Cathy-chan is going to miss you though," Neko pointed out.

"I know," Kat sighed. "She's my little baby and I just want her to grow into the kind of woman she wants to be."

"So in other words, completely wild like you," Kenzaki snorted.

"I like to think there are many different words for the same thing," Kat retorted. "Rosie-chan really wants Cathy-chan to become a proper lady. You know, like what obaa-san wanted me to be?"

"Egh," Ryuji growled. "I remember those lessons. She tried to make Ryuki into a gentleman too."

"Now you know why you're my favorite little brother," Kat smiled. "You know how to cut loose and have fun." She smirked mischievously, "Looks like you've had some of the best fun lately."

"My sex life is none of your business!" Ryuji snapped.

"Hey, I'm the oldest sister," Kat smiled. "I get to tease you. Anyway, Kotonoha-chan is a real looker and definitely a keeper. You really know how to do well for yourself."

"I know," smirked Ryuji.

* * *

"Are you Makoto Itou?" a strange voice said and Makoto froze in his tracks. For some reason he didn't like the sound of that voice but he still couldn't resist it. He turned around slowly and then his eyes widened in fright.

* * *

"Nanimo?" repeated Kat.

"Yeah, he's the new asshole that's been screwing with us," said Ryuji in disdain.

"He's also been orchestrating some of these new Imagin attacks," added Neko. "Have you heard of him?"

"No, I haven't. Unlike you all I'm not an active interdimensional traveller," answered Kat.

"Thank Kami-sama for that," muttered Kenzaki.

"So, what else do you know about this guy?" asked Kat.

"He's also Ken-kun's brother who's swearing revenge on him," answered Neko bluntly.

"Neko!" exclaimed Kenzaki. Kat smirked.

"Oh, evil brother," mocked Kat. "Look like we all got ourselves evil siblings."

"You're the evil sibling," Kenzaki shot back.

"Oh, nice comeback," Kat rolled her eyes. "Did you come up with that one all by your-"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"What the heck?" Kat looked over at Ryuji. "What is that?"

"'Imagin alert," answered Ryuji. "And it's…in the school!"

* * *

Makoto was running down the hallway with the Imagin chasing him. The Imagin resembled a harlequin with a skull face. Its body was in a skin tight suit of mismatched colours and it had bells hanging from the two long points of is hat.

"Come with me, my contractor wants to see you! Come with me my, contractor wants to see you!" the Imagin repeated in a sing-song voice while slamming anything and anyone away that was blocking its path. It was enjoying the chase and destruction so much.

"Somebody help me!" wailed Makoto. Was it the gods punishing him for making a wish with that Gingerbread thing? Then they were going a bit too far in his opinion.

"Come with me! Come with me! Come with-URK!" the Harlequin Imagin was suddenly sent flying backwards by a punch to the jaw and a kick in the gut. It skidded along the floor and Makoto stopped to see what'd happened.

"Itou, get yourself out of here, now," Ryuji said in a commanding voice.

"Let us handle it," spoke a girl Makoto could've sworn was Neko but not in uniform.

Not sticking around to argue, Makoto ran for his life.

"So, Kat," said Ryuji as he summoned his belt. "You sure you can handle Imagin?"

"How hard can it be when Kenny does it?" smirked Kat as her own belt appeared around her waist.

"Well, just follow the lead of the master," boasted Ryuji. "Henshin." He slid the Rider Pass into the belt's slot.

"Hey, I might just leave you in my dust," she rebutted. Neko's 'evil' twin slid the Byakko card into her belt buckle. "Henshin."

"**IFRIT FORM!**" Ryuji's belt exclaimed. As for Kat's belt it just split open to reveal the tiger emblem.

White shards covered Kat as she transformed into Kamen Rider CopyKat. First her tight bodysuit formed and then the armor formed over her. The helmet was the last thing to form before the eyepieces and mouthplate closed up. Finally, she quickly summoned her twin battle axes, "Let's Rock," she exclaimed, "and Rampage!"

"Let me tell you this from the start; I am really fucking pissed off right now," said Ifrit as he formed his Sub-Zero Shooter in his left hand and Ifrit Dao in his right.

"Ooooooh?" the Harlequin Imagin blinked. "Meanie meanie eats zucchini! I just want Makoto Itou."

"Well, as much as I hate the worm, I can't let you have him," Ifrit sighed.

"Too bad," the Harlequin Imagin snickered. Reaching behind its back, it pulled out a little burlap bag with sparkles on it. Reaching in, it pulled out a pile of sparkles before throwing them into the air.

"Ya-ha!" the Harlequin Imagin cheered as it tossed the sparkles into the air.

"What the-?" Ifrit growled as he stepped back with CopyKat.

"Is this normal?" the Tiger-themed Rider asked.

"No two Imagin are alike," Ifrit frowned.

In this case, Ifrit was about to be wrong. In puffs of smoke five identical Harlequin Imagin appeared before the pair. All five of them laughed while stalking forward.

"Can't get us!" the five laughed.

"Gekiryu Henshin!"

"Shatter!"

"**RAMPAGE FORM!**"

The five Imagin stopped and turned as three other Riders appeared in their armored forms.

"Wooo…might get tricky," the original Harlequin Imagin mumbled. "Oh well!" it laughed, "Boys, occupy them!" The original then vanished in the chaos as its clones lunged at the Riders.

"Let's take this outside!" roared Ifrit. The hallway was a little too cramped and crowded anyway.

* * *

Several windows shattered as ten figures leapt through them and landed roughly outside of school. This drew the attention of the students as well as panic and fear from the new Freshmen. They'd heard rumors of the Kamen Riders always showing up at the school but never thought them to be true.

Each of the Riders was engaged with one of the Harlequin Imagin clones who were armed with different weapons. Ryukendo was fighting one that was armed with a broadsword, Garoh was fighting one armed with an axe, Wraith was fighting one that had spiked brass knuckles, CopyKat was fighting one that was using a whip and finally Ifrit was fighting a Harlequin Imagin that was armed with a staff.

Each of the Harlequin Imagin giggled insanely as they fought the Riders while the original was probably after Makoto.

* * *

Makoto had gone to hide himself in the bathroom and locked himself in one of the stalls. "I'll be safe in here," he muttered to himself.

"Ya think so, buddy?" he heard and a ceiling panel dropped in front of him along with the Harlequin Imagin. Makoto screamed in fright but his screams were muffled when the Harlequin Imagin pulled the sack over Makoto and began to tie him up. Makoto struggled which earned him some smacks from the Imagin. "Shut up! I'm gonna complete this contract if it's the last thing I do!"

* * *

The students continued to cheer on the Riders as they recorded the entire battle with their cell phones. Sooner or later this was going to end up on YouTube but the group of heroes had other concerns.

"Ifrit!" shouted Wraith. "You gotta find the original! We'll handle things here!"

'"OK!" nodded Ifrit. He shot at the Harlequin Imagin he was fighting several times, filling it up with holes before he went for his belt and pressed the button.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

He aimed and fired a beam of frost energy at the Imagin, encasing it in ice before swiping at it several times with his sword. The frozen Imagin was sliced to pieces. Giving his comrades one last look, he then ran back into the building to find the original Harlequin Imagin and hopefully its contractor.

* * *

Earlier, the Harlequin Imagin had Setsuna tied up and gagged in a storage closet. Once it had Makoto, it decided to deliver him to her. He opened the door and grabbed Setsuna before dropping her roughly on the floor. She squirmed in pain and glared at the Imagin who opened up its sack to drop an unconscious Makoto in front of her.

"Here, this is the boy you wanted!" the Harlequin Imagin chuckled in satisfaction. "Contract Complete!"

Ifrit arrived too late and saw the Harlequin Imagin opening Setsuna up and darting into the portal before the girl closed up again. Cursing himself for his tardiness, he ran over to the tied up and gagged girl while ignoring Makoto entirely. He untied her and removed her gag before asking, "Are you okay?" Setsuna nodded but stared at him as well. She'd heard about the Riders from her friends but this was her first time seeing one of them in person.

Ifrit took out a ticket and held it over her head. Immediately, the Harlequin Imagin's image formed on the ticket along with a date. It was September 4th 2007. As he recalled that had been the first day of school. He never thought he'd visit that time again.

Standing up, Ifrit opened a window and leapt out just as the ChronoLiner flew by. He landed in the cockpit and piloted the train towards its destination. Setsuna stood up and poked her head out the window to watch the train vanish into a portal.

* * *

**April10 ****th**** 2007**

"You want to exchange seats with me?" asked Setsuna towards Sekai's request.

"Yes, because Makoto's gonna be sitting there. Come on, Setsuna? Please?" Sekai said hopefully.

Before Setsuna could answer, her entire body stiffened as sand poured out from her body much to Sekai's shock. The sand then reformed into the Harlequin Imagin who stretched. It yawned and looked around, "Bo-Ring!" Eyes on Sekai, it grinned, before taking out a can of silly string, shaking it, and spraying Sekai all over with it. Laughing at its prank, it skipped out of the classroom to do some real damage.

As soon as Ifrit arrived via the ChronoLiner, he saw the school in chaos because of the Harlequin Imagin. There were screams of fear and fright from the Imagin's pranks. He saw the Imagin exiting the building. It stuck its tongue out at Ifrit before running off, leaving a dust trail behind. Growling, Ifrit summoned his bike and gave chase.

* * *

The Harlequin Imagin had already started on causing chaos. Graffiti was everywhere, people were tied up to lampposts and stuck to buildings by glue and even vehicles were piled up. The police tried to subdue the Imagin but it just shrugged off their pathetic attempts at stopping it as it continued its fun.

Suddenly, the Imagin was thrown backwards when Ifrit rammed into it at full speed. It rolled along the road as Ifrit dismounted from his bike. The Harlequin Imagin frowned, "Oh, it's you again."

"That's right, clown-boy, and this time I'm putting an end to your pranks," warned Ifrit.

The Harlequin Imagin snorted, "Heh, everyone's a critic." It reached behind its back and pulled out a pair of wicked scythes. "But I guess if I want to see you smile, I should cut it on your face!"

"Try it!" Ifrit challenged. He summoned his twin Ifrit Dao and charged at the Harlequin Imagin.

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed. Ifrit threw his leg but the Imagin jumped up and kicked Ifrit backwards. Ifrit ducked under one of the Imagin's clumsy swings before elbowing it in the side. The Imagin flinched at the pain and then received a 5 Slash Combo across the back and chest before Ifrit jumped up and kneed it in the face causing it to stagger backwards.

Angered, the Imagin dropped its scythes and pulled out a seltzer bottle. He aimed at Ifrit and squeezed the trigger, letting loose a clear fluid that was definitely not water as sparks flew from its contact with Ifrit's armor. It splashed over the ground, causing it to bubble and melt, revealing it to be acid. Ifrit was forced to his knees as the Harlequin Imagin picked up its scythes and then skipped towards Ifrit.

"Any last words?" the Harlequin Imagin asked. He heard a mumble. "What was that?"

"Bull's Eye," Ifrit repeated aloud. His Ifrit Dao morphed into the Sub-Zero Shooters with the bayonets out. He then stabbed the bayonets into the Harlequin Imagin's gut, causing it to scream in pain. Ifrit then started to pull the triggers, repeatedly, blasting at the Imagin over and over again. He then withdrew the bayonets and watched as the injured Imagin staggered backwards.

"Damn it..." the Harlequin Imagin cursed hoarsely.

"It's curtains for you," said Ifrit in finality.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The charge transferred from his belt into his guns which he aimed at the Imagin before he pulled the trigger. He then fired a wide beam from both guns that engulfed the Imagin and froze him from the inside out. When he stopped firing, he walked over to the frozen Imagin and then swung hard at it with one of his guns, shattering it to pieces.

* * *

Back in the present, the Harlequin Imagin clones suddenly disappeared in puffs of smoke. Thought Garoh, Ryukendo and CopyKat were confused, Wraith wasn't. He knew Ifrit had won.

* * *

Back in the past, Ifrit was getting a funny feeling when all of a sudden the Imagin's remains rose up into the air before transforming into a massive Gigandeath. It looked like a gigantic hyena on steroids with sharp elephant tusks. It let out what sounded like a bellowing laughter before it began to attack the city. Ifrit watched in anger.

"Damn it," Ifrit cursed. He got ready to call the ChronoLiner when all of a sudden there was an earthquake. "Na-nani!"

Suddenly, the ground burst open as something came explosively out of it, sending rubble and debris flying everywhere. Ifrit's eyes then widened at the sight of what was in front of him. "Sugei…"

It was a time train, definitely. It looked like a cross between a steam locomotive and a woolly mammoth with a crimson coloring and golden tusks along with a curled up trunk. It trumpeted loudly, announcing its arrival. Linked behind the locomotive were two bullet trains. The first one was white and modelled after a T-Rex with sharp teeth. The 2nd bullet train was blue and modelled after a triceratops with sharp horns.

Ifrit could feel that this time train was his. He didn't know how but it just felt like it. "You want me to pilot you?" The mammoth train trumpeted. "I'll take that as a yes. Yosh! Here I come!" He leapt up and entered the cockpit.

To his surprise it wasn't any different from the cockpit of the ChronoLiner except there was ancient writing along the walls. The bike which acted as the controls was a deep red color with tusks like the train. The viewing screen and HUD activated giving him a good view of the Gigandeath in front of him.

"OK, let's do this!" shouted Ifrit before gripping the controls and letting the wheels spin, "IKUZE!"

The powerful time train ran along its tracks and charged towards the Gigandeath who roared and charged right back. Both slammed into each other and ended up in a deadlock trying to push each other back. Ifrit's grip on the handlebars tightened before he activated the train's weapons. "Let see what you can do!"

The bullet train cars behind the locomotive unlinked and then flew into the air aboard their own tracks. The T-Rex train roared as the triceratops train bellowed. They rammed into the Gigandeath and sent it tumbling across the ground. Continuing with their attack, the T-Rex train bit down on the Gigandeath, causing it to scream as the triceratops train stabbed it with its horns. The two trains then backed away before ramming it at full speed. Ifrit watched with a grin. It was time to finish it. He entered a new command to see what would happen next.

The mammoth steam locomotive trumpeted as its trunk uncurled and then aimed at the Gigandeath like a cannon. Correction: it was a cannon. Taking aim, Ifrit then pushed down on the button. The trunk cannon fired a powerful beam of energy that engulfed the Gigandeath before covering it in ice, freezing it. The Gigandeath was now frozen from the inside out.

"Now to end it!" shouted Ifrit before the steam locomotive charged and rammed into the Gigandeath and shattered it to a million pieces, destroying it. The T-Rex and triceratops cars soon linked back up with it before vanishing into a portal. As soon as the time train left, the laws of time restored everything destroyed by the Imagin and Gigandeath as Ifrit returned to the present.

* * *

"Sugoi!" exclaimed Kotonoha as she admired her boyfriend's newest acquisition. They were all in the Sands of Time.

"Sweet ride," admired Kat.

"So, it chose you?" Kenzaki asked sceptically.

"It did," nodded Ryuji.

"Wow, it's pretty awesome looking," complimented Neko. "But what are you going to call it?"

"It's called the DynoLiner," said Ant.

"DynoLiner?" repeated Kotonoha.

"Heh, I like it," grinned Ryuji. "But how come you know its name?" asked Ryuji.

"Oh, when you've been around the Multiverse you pick up a few things," said Ant vaguely. "Anyway, the DynoLiner is said to be one of the first time trains ever built. Of course, it was so powerful that it had to be sealed away. It was purposely lost in time and space never to be seen or heard from again."

"Until now," corrected Gekiryuken.

"Exactly," nodded Ant. "It seems that the DynoLiner has chosen Ryuji as its pilot. I guess it deemed him worthy."

"Well, all I can say is now I can take Koto-chan on trips by myself," grinned Ryuji. He then grabbed Kotonoha, who gasped, and slung her over his shoulder. "Come on, Koto-chan." She giggled as she was being carried into the DynoLiner. The vehicle then ran along the tracks.

"I'm betting they are going to get it on in there," guessed Kenzaki with some level of disgust.

"Hey, they're in love," defended Warren. "At least we now have a new weapon on our side." He placed a hand on Kat's shoulder, "And a new friend and ally."

* * *

"Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha asked, almost shyly, as she walked alongside her boyfriend. They were both in the King's Terminal after taking a ride on the DynoLiner.

"Hai, Koto-chan?" he replied.

"My parents will be going on a long business trip," she said. "So they won't be around the house for quite awhile."

"How long will that be?"

"For the rest of the year."

"That's pretty long," he gave his opinion.

"I suppose it is," she brushed a hand through her hair.

Silence…

"Koto-chan, there must be a reason why you're telling me this," he said while looking at her suspiciously.

"Yes, there is," she said while playing with her fingers. "I was hoping that…maybe…if you…"

"If I what?" he urged.

She finally decided to say it. She knew he hated people beating around the bush. So she decided to be direct and say it, "Ryuji-kun, would you like to move in and stay with me while my parents are gone?"

Ryuji nearly fell over in surprise. Was his girlfriend asking him to stay at her place? To actually live with her? He studied her expression and realised she was serious. "You're really serious."

"I am," she nodded. "I asked my parents this and they said yes. They really trust you." Ryuji smiled, relieved that he had Kotonoha's parents' trust. "And Kokoro-chan would love to have you around." Of course she would. Kokoro would love to have her 'Ryuji-niichan' all to herself.

"And what about you?" he asked.

"Huh?" she blinked.

"Do you want me to move in with you? Really?" he asked.

Kotonoha beamed, "Hai, I do."

"OK then," he grinned. "I'll move in with you. I'll be at your place later tonight, OK?"

"That would be great."

* * *

Setsuna sat down at her desk with numerous pictures of Ifrit and his allies fighting off various kinds of monsters. Most of her pics came from magazines but her friends had some shots on their cell phones which she managed to upload and print on her computer.

She had to admit that Ifrit was living up to his hype. The way he'd went after the monster she'd accidentally created was definitely something heroic. The train was little odd, but every hero had a gimmick.

Wraith, Garoh, and Ryukendo were all living up to their own hype that Sekai and Otome had been telling her about. They fought all those monsters bravely. The black and white tiger-like Rider with the axes was someone new. Otome had explained that new Riders would show up every so often. It didn't make sense to her, but she supposed monsters and heroes didn't have to make sense.

Putting the photos down, Setsuna put her mind on a different subject. In this case, it was Kotonoha and Ryuji. She just couldn't understand how someone like Kotonoha could end up in a relationship with Ryuji. He seemed so mean and abrasive, and she had heard the rumors that he'd beaten the crap out of Taisuke twice now. How Kotonoha could be with someone so violent was beyond her.

Of course…that was when you looked at the surface. Setsuna wasn't one who jumped to conclusions. She could see that Kotonoha was very happy with her relationship. She had never seen her smile so brightly even when she was with Makoto. Likewise, Ryuji seemed to actually soften up when he was with Kotonoha. The saying opposites attract certainly applied to them.

Much had changed since she'd been away and so she was determined to figure them out.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Anyway, here's the latest chap. Now Ifrit has his own personal time train dubbed the DynoLiner. I based it on those train Engines from Engine Sentai Go-Onger and made it into a new time train. Guess it was waiting for Ryuji this whole time, huh? They are gonna need it.

And some basic info:

The **DynoLiner** is an ancient and powerful time train that was lost in time and space and has the power to match the KingLiner. It was hidden in the School Days Universe and chose Ifrit to be its pilot. The bike that is used to control the train is known as the** Machine Dyno-Breaker**.

The** DynoLiner Mammoth** is the main engine car that is designed after a woolly mammoth with powerful looking tusks that shoot energy bolts. The trunk can also uncurl into a powerful cannon that shoots a freeze ray. It is a steam locomotive unlike Tyrano and Tricera. The Machine Dyno-Breaker is docked in this train.

The** DynoLiner Tyrano** is a bullet train car linked to the Mammoth. It is designed after a T-Rex with a powerful set of jaws. It can attack independently and connect to other time trains to add more power. It can breathe fire or use it jaws to attack by biting. The interior of the Tyrano resembles a dining car with fur covered seats. The walls also have ancient writing on them.

The **DynoLiner Tricera** is a bullet train car designed after a triceratops. Its horns can fire armor piercing lasers. It can attack independently and connect with other time trains to add more power. The interior of the Tricera contains fully furnished train cabins with comfortable beds and bathrooms. The walls also have ancient writing on them.

Character Bios:

**Ryuji Hasuma/Kamen Rider Ifrit** is Kotonoha's new boyfriend. He is known to be extremely temperamental and almost always in a bad mood. He gets into fights for the fun of it and is pretty violent, earning him a bad reputation at school as a delinquent. He never bullies others, however, but will lash out when wronged in anyway which leads to implications. However, he also has a softer side that is only seen by Kotonoha. He is kind to her and cares for her deeply to the point that he can actually admit that he loves her. Love is an emotion quite foreign to him due to his origins. He first befriends Kotonoha and then he rescues her from a suicide attempt. He later acts as her anchor, supporting her emotionally and protecting her from harm. He couldn't tell her how he felt at first since she still held a torch for Makoto but one fateful night at the School Festival changed things and they shared a kiss which started their official relationship as a couple. Ryuji has a habit of keeping lists of people he doesn't like and openly shows aggression and hostility to these people, especially if they did something he views as inexcusable.

**Loki** is Ryuji's humble Imagin partner, wearing a black robe and hood to cover his body and a cloth mask to cover his face, leaving his blue eyes exposed. He has long horns protruding from his head, suggesting he may be an Ifrit Imagin based on Ryuji's Orphenoch form. Unlike his partner/contractor, Loki is polite and never curses. He also reminds Ryuji to be nicer to others and takes care of the apartment he shares with Ryuji, wearing a special device to disguise himself with a hologram to make himself look human so he can go shopping. Loki acts like Ryuji's butler and sometimes a father figure, posing as Ryuji's guardian. When he combines with Ifrit, they can assume Loki Form.

**Athena** is a pride-filled Amazon Imagin who has no respect for any male and is devoted to her "Lady Kotonoha". She acts as Kotonoha's bodyguard. She merely tolerates Ryuji's presence due to her contractors love for him but at times the two don't get along less Kotonoha forces them to. Athena is an excellent fighter and extremely confident. She and Ryuji once combined to create Amazon Form but later Athena and Kotonoha use Ryuji's Rider Pass to become Kamen Rider Athena when Ryuji was possessed and controlled by the White Baboon Imagin. Like Eros she stays on the ChronoLiner until she is needed.

**Eros **is a pacifistic Cupid Imagin contracted to Kotonoha's sister, Kokoro. Her wish was for Ryuji to be her boyfriend but since Ryuji was already in love with Kotonoha, Eros' arrows didn't work on him…well, almost didn't work. The arrow he'd hit Ryuji with caused the entire female student body of Sakakino High to fall in love with him and give him Valentine's Day presents. Eros babysits Kokoro and loves her dearly. Despite the fact that he hates to fight, he will defend Kokoro. Like Athena he stays on the ChronoLiner but prefers to keep Kokoro company out of love and loyalty.

**Neko Hasuma/Kamen Rider Ryukendo** is Ryuji's sister and Kenzaki's girlfriend. She has a fun loving personality and is cheerful. She loves Kenzaki dearly but is not yet ready to engage in sexual intercourse with him. She also plays peacemaker between Kenzaki and her brother. Neko possesses an affinity to cats. Despite her cheerful attitude, she still feels great guilt over several events in her past in which she was indirectly responsible for and still regrets them till this day. This regret carries over to her relationship with Kenzaki in which she feels insecure about them being together. She practices GekiJyu Cat-Ken with Kenzaki's help. She is similar to Ryuji as they are both halves of the original but are starting to grow into their own person. Neko is the Yang half of Kat and as such is much nicer and less crazy than her.

**Gekiryuken **is Neko's medallion, sword and transformation device. Sealed inside of the medallion/sword is the soul of a powerful warrior who grants Neko the ability to become Ryukendo. He is wise and gives Neko advice in battle. The sword he inhabits is a Keyblade.

**Warren Smith/Kamen Rider Wraith** is a 21 year old who had gone undercover at the school in order to complete his college thesis. He is married to Rachel Roth & has two three 3 year old children, Tessa & Alex Smith. He is known to be very easygoing & it takes a lot to get him angry. This is due to him having lived a rage & anger filled childhood. Warren doesn't speak much about his past. Warren also has an open marriage, & is engaged in a relationship with Teresa Auten. He is currently working as a teacher in Sakakino High.

**Kenzaki Tsukuba/Kamen Rider Garoh** is the boyfriend of Neko Hasuma. He is known for being very quiet & keeps to himself mostly. He is also known to be quite violent when provoked. He suffered from a childhood accident that coated his skin in a strange type of metal, as well as giving him clawed hands. The only person he actually shows kindness to is his girlfriend, Neko. He doesn't talk about his past much, but it seems to involve the death of his family. Kenzaki doesn't get along all too well with Ryuji, but tolerates him for Neko's sake.


	12. The Cat's Out of the Bag Now

Kotonoha was in bed, dreaming pleasantly. The boy she loved in the entire world was now living in the same house. He'd moved in to live with her after her parents went on a long business trip. His apartment was left to Vash who didn't mind living on his own but Vash would drop by Kotonoha's home to visit his partner, much to Ryuji's chagrin.

It'd been a week since Ryuji got the DynoLiner as his own personal time train. It was also compatible with his Rider Pass and tickets and a powerful weapon against Gigandeath. Also, a week ago Kokoro had revealed that she'd been aware of Ryuji's identity as Ifrit, which was surprising. When asked, she answered, "Well, you and Ifrit are a lot alike. Not many people can see it, Ryuji-niichan, but I can tell." And then she added, "And Eros-niichan told me."

That was actually the most obvious answer. Of course Eros would tell her.

Kotonoha felt the mattress shift and cracked an eye opened. A figure with long hair had crawled into bed with her. She smiled. '_Ryuji-kun?_' Maybe Ryuji wanted to cuddle with her. She could feel the figure's warm breath close to her face and moved in closer. '_Maybe he won't mind a kiss_.' She pressed her lips against the other pair in front of her and after a few minutes broke the kiss. She smiled. Her Ryuji had such nice lips.

Then she heard a voice that wasn't his.

"You're cute, but I already have a wife. Sorry."

That wasn't Ryuji's voice at all. It was female and…

Kotonoha eyes shot wide open and she saw Kat grinning back at her. "O…hayo!"

Kotonoha screamed.

* * *

Back downstairs in the dining room where Ryuji was reading the paper at the table, Kokoro was reading a manga while Loki was making breakfast. Eros and Athena were also with them waiting for breakfast. The owner of the DynoLiner looked up after hearing his girlfriend's scream.

"Nani?" Kokoro asked.

"I guess she found out Kat was visiting," Ryuji said.

* * *

**"THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG NOW"**

* * *

"_It's time," stated Ryuji as he sat down at the train platform, waiting for the train's arrival. He was the only one there. Between his middle and index fingers of his right hand was a train ticket. After several minutes of waiting he checked his wrist watch, "Kuso…it's late." He then heard the familiar tune play through the air, echoing through the tunnel. "Cheh, it's about time." The multicolored portal formed and a familiar futuristic bullet train shot out of it before it slowed down and stopped in front of Ryuji. A door to one of its cars opened and Ryuji walked up to it before entering. He was in the dining car and he could see two people present. One was a male in an expensive black suit and red silk shirt who was wearing a conductor's cap. His face was framed by his bangs and his hair was pulled back and braided. He was known as Antonitis Fenton McCrown, but was called 'Ant' by his friends. He sat at a table enjoying a cup of tea. The other person was a woman with short silver hair and green eyes, wearing what appeared to be a stewardess outfit. _

_The woman saw Ryuji enter and welcomed him, "Welcome to the ChronoLiner! Take a seat and I'll be happy to serve you!"_

"_Heh, thanks," smirked Ryuji before walking over and planting himself across from Ant. Ant looked up at him. "It's been awhile, Conductor-san."_

"_So it seems," replied Ant as he placed his cup down. "So, what will you be having?"_

_Ryuji could see Andie waiting for his order and said, "Strawberry milkshake."_

"_OK!" she saluted before she went to her station to make the beverage._

_Ryuji placed the ticket on the table and slid it across the table to Ant. "I want to go now."_

_Ant picked up the ticket and scanned it. He looked up at Ryuji, "You know this is a one-way trip, right?"_

"_I do and I don't care. You offered me a chance and I decided it was time to collect," state Ryuji with pure conviction._

"_Well, this ticket doesn't come free," said Ant as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black and silver rail pass. He placed it on the table and slid it over to Ryuji. "You know what you have to do."_

_Ryuji took the pass and smiled, "Sure. Why do you think I've been training for so long?"_

"_Well then, I officially welcome you to the ChronoLiner Riders, Ryuji Hasuma," said Ant._

"_Here's your order!" Andie said cheerfully as she placed the drink in front of Ryuji. He took a sip and a nostalgic feeling came over him._

'_Koto-chan, I'm coming home…' _

* * *

Kotonoha sat next to Ryuji at breakfast. Kat was there too, dressed in Sakakino High's uniform and wearing the same one that Kotonoha was wearing but without the red bowtie and she left the jacket open. Though Kat remained cheerful, Kotonoha was still flustered about the kiss she'd given Kat. She was looking a little red and did not dare to look up at her boyfriend or Kat's face.

"So, today you'll be going to school with us, is that right?" questioned Ryuji as he looked over Kat's clothing.

"Sure am!" she grinned. "Took a week to process the paperwork though but starting today I'll be a transfer student at Sakakino High!" She would be going as a 2nd year student.

"So, what brings you here, Kat-neechan?" asked Kokoro. She wanted to get to know her Ryuji-niichan's other sister.

"Well, if you must know, I was living with Neko until today," said Kat. Yes, after she'd arrived and helped out, Neko had invited Kat to stay on the GaroLiner. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Neko tried, she couldn't get Kenzaki and Kat to get along. "Long story short there was a lot of tension so I left."

"You got kicked out, didn't you?" Ryuji clarified.

"Bingo!" announced Kat shamelessly and cheerfully. "So, anyway, I was hoping if I could crash here. Whaddya say?"

"Well, that's Koto-chan's decision," said Ryuji. He turned to look at his girlfriend who'd barely touched her food. "Koto-chan?"

"Hai!" she responded quickly as she sat up straight. When her eyes fell on Kat she blushed but the blush deepened when she looked at her boyfriend. She covered her face in embarrassment which just perplexed him.

"What's wrong?" asked Ryuji.

"Oh, she's just a little flushed after she kissed me in bed," Kat said nonchalantly as she took a bite out of her toast.

Everyone who was still eating began to choke on their food after hearing that and then turned their eyes on Kotonoha.

"Kat-san!" exclaimed Kotonoha. She tried to explain herself, "It didn't happen like that!"

"I also got some tongue," Kat continued.

"I've lost my appetite," Eros said, looking ill.

"I thought you were Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried out, mortified. Kat laughed. "Please, stop laughing!" She covered her face in embarrassment.

Ryuji sighed. His oldest sister was definitely a cause of chaos. No wonder she got kicked out of the GaroLiner.

There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" announced Loki as he walked over to the door. He made sure to disguise himself as a human so he wouldn't frighten the person when he opened the door. Athena and Eros instantly entered their host's bodies as well.

Loki looked through the peephole to see a boy with blonde hair, gold eyes and whisker marks on his face wearing a white shirt with a black jacket and black pants. He spoke, "Hey is Big Sis in there?"

Kat recognized the voice and walked over to look through the peep hole. She smiled, "Oh, its Bobby!" She shoved Loki aside and opened the door. "Come in, kiddo!"

Bobby smiled, revealing a fang as he removed his shoes and went inside. He slipped on the house slippers as he followed Kat and Loki into the dining room.

"Hey, who's the kid?" asked Ryuji.

"Oh, he's my partner," said Kat. "Bobby."

"Yo!" Bobby saluted.

* * *

Kat had explained who Bobby was. His full name was Robert Clawson but his true name was Byakko no Gai. Apparently he was one of the '4 Symbols' created by Libra to watch over the Avatar of Power (Terra). He lost his life doing so but like everything else affected by Ryuki's wish, Bobby along with his brothers were resurrected. Bobby represented Libra's selflessness and the possessed the Power of the Fierce White Tiger. When GIN-SHOCKER revealed itself and started kidnapping people to add onto their mutant cyborg army, one of the people they'd targeted had been Cathy.

Kat became enraged and fought hard to protect her daughter but was also wounded badly. She would've died if Bobby hadn't showed up and made a pact with her to lend her his power. She accepted without hesitation and with her new power was able to obliterate the GIN-SHOCKER troops. She's been fighting solo and only aided the others out of necessity. The only people she cared for were Rose and Cathy. How was she to know the only way to unlock her true power was if she displayed true Selflessness. Bobby never told her. She was supposed to discover it for herself.

Overtime Bobby had taken up the role as the little brother Kat never had (or wanted). He was childish, loud and annoying. He also liked to change the channel to some anime that had giant robots on it. However, despite those faults, Kat could count on him.

* * *

Ryuji recognized the jacket, shirt and pants as Sakakino High's uniform and quipped, "You too, huh?"

"Big Sis may need my help," said Bobby honestly. "She's terrible at schoolwork."

"Oh, like you're any better!" Kat snapped.

"At least I don't fall asleep in class!"

"No, you just daydream!"

"Urusei!" shouted Ryuji, slamming his palms onto the table. "Behave yourselves. You are guests here in Koto-chan's home so act accordingly!" The temperature fell dramatically causing everyone to shiver. Also, Ryuji's eyes were glowing bright blue signifying that he was in a bad mood. Kat actually gulped and shut herself up at the display. It took a lot to frighten her but the death glare and the chill was effective. Even Bobby was intimidated. "Thank you. Now, just eat up and then we can get to school."

* * *

After breakfast, Bobby, Ryuji, Kat, Kotonoha and Kokoro stood in front of the door with Ryuji in the lead. He held his Rider Pass to the door and then opened it up to reveal the vast expanse of the Sands of Time.

"Sugoi!" Kokoro let out. This was her first time ever seeing the Sands of Time. "Onee-chan, what is this?"

"The Sands of Time," Kotonoha told her. "I don't know what it is really, but it is indeed beautiful." The golden sand, the mountains and the rainbow colored sky were indeed a beautiful sight to see for her. She had been just as surprised as Kokoro the first time she'd seen it over half a year ago.

"Here," Ryuji said as he passed out tickets. "These are tickets you need to ride on the DynoLiner. Now, follow me." They all walked out and closed the door behind them.

They stood at an empty platform, waiting for Ryuji's train. He checked his watch and smiled, "It's coming."

"Excuse me, but can it get here sooner?" Kat huffed. "I don't want sand getting blown into my hair again."

"Just be patient," he growled, "I know that it's a foreign concept but just wait a moment." Shortly after, he heard the roar, bellow and trumpet of his train. "It's here."

The train could be seen in the distance with the DynoLiner Mammoth pulling along Tyrano and Tricera behind it. It soon slowed down and stopped at the platform. A door at the side of Tyrano opened up. "All aboard the DynoLiner express," said Ryuji. "Please be seated and enjoy the trip."

Kokoro skipped into the train, followed by her sister. Bobby went in after them. Kat and Ryuji stood at the platform, glaring at each other.

"I warn you to never pull that stunt on my girlfriend ever again," he threatened.

"You just want her all to yourself," retorted Kat. "I can see why. She's got nice, soft and sweet lips." Ryuji growled as Kat laughed and entered the train. Ryuji sighed and went inside the last. The door slid close before the train departed.

They were all seated at the dining car. Bobby and Kat sat at a booth as Kokoro, Kotonoha and Ryuji sat together at another booth. The seats were so soft with the fur covering them that Kokoro couldn't help but rub her cheek against it. "So soft…sugoi, Ryuji-niichan." She beamed at the older boy, "You are amazing! You are a hero and you have a train!"

"Well, don't tell anyone, Kokoro-chan," he smiled as he reached over to pat her head. "It's our little secret. You can use that ticket to ride on the train anytime."

"Arigato!" she beamed.

"You're pretty good with kids, Ryuji," smirked Kat as she leaned back against the seat. "Wonder what you'll be like when you and your girlfriend have them." That made Kotonoha and Ryuji blush. Kat laughed at their combined expression.

The dining car was connected to a kitchen and from it Loki entered into the car. He bowed, "Welcome to the DynoLiner! I am the cook! If anyone wishes to have anything to eat or drink, please, let me know!"

"I want orange juice!" Kokoro-chan raised up her hand.

"A vanilla milkshake for me," ordered Kat.

"One for me too!" Bobby shouted out.

"I guess I could have a strawberry milkshake," said Ryuji. "What about you, Koto-chan?"

Blushing a bit, Kotonoha smiled and said, "I wish to share it with you."

Ryuji smiled, "One strawberry milkshake with two straws."

"OK!" Loki bowed after jotting their orders onto a notepad. "I will have your drinks ready in 5 minutes."

As they waited for their drinks, Kokoro looked out the Sands of Time. It was like something from a story. She wanted to tell her friends but she promised her Ryuji-niichan. Still, it was nice of him to share his train with them.

Loki came out with their drinks and the group made small talk. Kat opted to just lie against the soft seats and take a little catnap while Bobby was playing on a Gameboy with earphones. Kotonoha and Ryuji shared their milkshake together, smiling and making eyes at each other. Kokoro actually wished it was she who was sharing a drink with her Ryuji-niichan.

"Alright, here's our first stop," said Ryuji as the door opened. "Kokoro-chan, just go through that door and you'll be at school."

"OK!" Kokoro hopped off the seat and bowed. "Thank you for the ride!" She then hugged him around the waist before skipping towards the door. "Bye!" She waved.

"The train will pick you up when you need it. Just hold the ticket out in front of any door and you'll be brought to the Sands of Time," informed Ryuji. She nodded and the door closed as she left for school.

"And next stop is Sakakino High," grinned Kat as she finally woke up. She yawned and rubbed her hands together, chuckling. "Oh, this is going to be a blast! I can't wait to create some chaos to spice things up." She took her milkshake and starting to take long sips of it. "Ahh, that's good!"

"You'll do no such thing," Ryuji warned.

"Try and stop me, otouto," Kat challenged with that catty grin of hers. "I doubt you'll be able to catch me when I start to stir things up."

"Try me."

"OK," grinned Kat. She loved challenges; made life more fun for her. Bobby rolled his eyes and focused on his game.

The train stopped and they exited. The door Ryuji opened actually led them to the school's roof.

From behind the closing door, the DynoLiner could be seen speeding away.

"Did we get here early?" Kotonoha asked as she started to readjust her watch. Ryuji's watch would automatically reset itself to the correct time since no time passed when they traveled through the Sands of Time.

"15 minutes before the bell rings," Ryuji said.

"Well, Bobby and I are gonna find our classes. Be seeing you two and take your time making out," waved Kat as she exited the roof along with Bobby who followed her.

"As much as I hate to agree with her, she does have the right idea," smirked Ryuji. He grabbed Kotonoha's hips and gently pushed her down onto the floor with him on top of her. He licked his lips. "We can make out for a few minutes, can't we?" Kotonoha responded with a giggle.

"Just shut up and kiss me," she ordered before taking his face in her hands and pulling him into a deep kiss.

* * *

Both Kotonoha and Ryuji entered the classroom. Kotonoha's hair was messier and Ryuji wore a large grin on his face. Kotonoha was trying to hide a love bite that was peaking out of her collar but was unsuccessful.

Warren was about to take attendance when they arrived. "You two are late," he informed them.

"Gomen nasai, Warren-sensei," bowed Kotonoha apologetically.

"Right, what she said," said Ryuji, showing the same amount of respect he showed anyone else.

"Just take your seats while I take attendance," said Warren, pointing to the couple's empty seats. As Ryuji and Kotonoha were walking towards their desks, Warren said to Ryuji, in English, "_Making out on the roof?_"

"_What else is there to do there?_" Ryuji replied.

"_Come 30 minutes to an hour early if you want to do that next time_," Warren advised.

"_Got it, got it_," Ryuji nodded. He then went and sat down next to Kotonoha.

After taking attendance, Warren began the lesson. It was Warren's History class right now and even if it was Ryuji's sempai teaching, he still found it boring. Taisuke was struggling not to fall asleep. Kotonoha was taking notes and nudging her boyfriend to stay awake. Warren was luckily a quick study, and in under a day had memorized the entire book, as well as several notes regarding this world's history. He was also well liked among the girls in the class. Despite knowing that he was married, they still had their silly schoolgirl crushes.

Kenzaki and Neko were absent today as what Kat had told them, Kenzaki had found a lead on Nanimo and were going to check it out. They said that if it dead ended after a week, they'd be back. With Kat around and how Kenzaki felt about her, it was the only way for the school to remain standing. The two were like cats and dogs. It was kind of symbolic when you thought about it.

Vash came to class late and was instantly sent to stand outside the classroom with his arms spread, holding buckets of water while standing on one leg.

* * *

In class 2-3, with Rachel as the homeroom teacher, Kat made her loud and unforgettable introduction.

"OHAYO!" Kat greeted. "My name is Kat Hasuma! Yes, I am related to Ryuji and Neko Hasuma! They're my bro and sis! Now, if any boy here tries to make a pass at me, I will break off his hand and shove it down his throat! I may even rip off your gonads! Girls are welcomed to try!" She winked at the girls who seemed a bit unnerved by her.

"Very good," said Rachel, feeling discomforted by Kat's aura. "Now, take a seat so we can start the lesson."

"Roger!" Kat gave a mock salute before skipping towards the seats. Finding an empty one she grinned and planted herself there as Rachel took attendance before starting her lesson.

While Rachel was teaching, the male half of the class was wide awake and looking at her as they gave Rachel lecherous leers. If only they knew what horrors awaited perverts that tried to get close to the married woman. Rachel was well known amongst the male populace of the school. As she walked by one boy's seat, he bent down to pick up the pencil that had "fallen". He used this as a chance to look up Rachel's skirt. She didn't take too kindly to this and sent out some of her empathic power of hers to make him think twice of his actions. The boy then sat up straight and paid attention. Kat grinned, having sensed Rachel's use of her power and grinned. Oh, she was going to love this school.

* * *

During the free time students had before their next class, Kat ended up in a conversation with Hikari and Nanami who were friends with Neko and they wanted to get to know Kat. Though Kat looked identical to Neko, she wore her hair down with a black bow ribbon and plus she had red eyes, which contrasted with Neko's blue eyes.

"So, you're really Neko's sister?" Hikari asked.

"Yep, that's me," boasted Kat. "I'm Ryuji's sister too."

"Well, Neko did say she had another sister," Nanami remembered. She'd met Ryuki half a year ago. He was nice and unlike Ryuji even if they were conceived and born on the same day…or so she would think. She wondered if Kat was any different from Neko. Neko wasn't as loud as Kat unless she was outdoors like back in Hawaii. "We just never thought we'd meet her."

"Trust me, you'll be seeing a lot of me here," said Kat. She was still depressed about her fight with Rose but because of her pride she didn't feel like apologizing and Rose was the same. It would take time but Kat expected Rose to come look for her because she missed her so much. Unfortunately, Kat was starting to miss her Rosie-chan too.

"Anyway, about your introduction," started Hikari. "Were you serious?"

"What do you think, cutie?" Kat leaned in close and winked with a naughty smirk. Hikari reeled at the look Kat was giving her. The red eyes were scary. "By the way, I love your hair loopies." Kat then yawned, "Anyway, is there anything fun to do in this school like clubs or sports or something? I need to do something before I die of boredom."

"How about joining the basketball team?" suggested Nanami.

"Heh, maybe," Kat shrugged, uninterested. "I prefer dodgeball." She did, but she actually enjoyed it more if nobody dodged. If she played against boys, she aimed below the belt.

She wondered how Bobby was doing.

* * *

Bobby, of course, was surrounded by girls. Being a foreigner made him exotic and his whisker marks just made him cute. He would rather not let them so close but even he didn't hit girls…except for his Big Sis but she was too rough to be considered a girl. The girls around him looked like they wanted to date him and then some and he wondered what god he'd upset to deserve this.

* * *

Setsuna Kiyoura had missed a lot since she'd moved to Paris. Once she came back there was news of real superheroes known as the Kamen Riders. It all started with Ifrit's appearance half a year ago.

Well, that wasn't exactly through. In her research she'd discovered that the masked hero had appeared several times in the past and always during a monster attack. Setsuna never envisioned real life to be like that, like something out of tokusatsu shows little boys loved to watch, but that was the reality. Ifrit and the Kamen Riders were real and so were these monsters.

Still, she still couldn't shake off the feeling concerning Ifrit. His voice sounded eerily familiar.

Then her thoughts drifted back towards Ryuji and Kotonoha. To think the girl she wanted to break up with Makoto so that Makoto and Sekai could be together was dating Ryuji Hasuma, the school's thug. Of course, once she heard that Ryuji had become part of their small circle of friends, she was a bit surprised. Sekai even said that Ryuji could be nice…well, as nice as he possibly could when around Kotonoha. Most of the time he was not the best of people to be around.

She felt envious of Kotonoha and Sekai. The two girls had the boys of their dreams. Even though Setsuna still held a torch for Makoto, he was Sekai's boyfriend now. She had no right to break them up.

Now, back to the Riders, Sekai had told her about how a reporter of the Sakakino Star weekly news magazine actually got an interview with Ifrit. Nobody knows how she did it but it was true. If Setsuna wanted answers then she would need to see this Miyako Serizawa.

* * *

Aboard the GaroLiner, both Kenzaki and Neko were…well…they were getting busy.

"Ken-kun," Neko moaned as Kenzaki kissed her neck. He was on top of her, his arms around her back as she held him around the neck with her arms. Gekiryuken had been put inside the closet so they could have some privacy, much to the medallion's annoyance. They could've just given him to Kumiko but this was a spur of the moment thing.

They were on Kenzaki's bed, making out. Their lips crushed against each other as their tongues wrestled. Kenzaki's hand did some exploring. One hand was actually coming up to her breast while the other was rubbing her thigh.

Neko moaned from the way he touched her but then her eyes widened in shock and fear as his hand went under her top and his other hand was going up her thigh and…

She pushed him off him and sat up, panting. "Ken-kun! You know the rules! I'm not ready for that yet."

"Sorry," Kenzaki apologized. He'd almost ruined a beautiful thing because of his damn hormones but he couldn't help it. She just looked, smelled and tasted so good…and he wanted more. Yes, he was greedy but how could he not be? She was irresistible.

Neko redid her braid as she fixed her clothes. As much as she enjoyed making out with Kenzaki, she already set a limit. She wanted to wait for the right time. She wanted it to be special.

Presently, the two GaroLiner Hunters were looking for some leads on Nanimo while at the same time hunting down some B-Class bounties. They were low on cash and needed the money. Maintaining a time train didn't come cheap and added with their tuition and other luxuries, especially with 6 other people on the train, money tended to run out fast.

"I wonder how everyone's doing back at school?" commented Neko.

"Well, if Kat's there then they have their hands full," remarked Kenzaki. It was no secret that he loathed Kat. Unlike Neko, she was the closest reminder of how the Living Gate had destroyed his home and family. She enjoyed causing trouble and still kept the name that he'd hated for over 12 years of his life. Though his hatred should be targeted on Katherine, logically, he didn't really care.

"Ken-kun, I know she reminds you about that terrible incident happened in your past," said Neko as she scooted over to him and laid her head against his shoulder. Even Neko remembered it but at least she felt guilt which was a redeeming quality in his eyes. Kat seemed to be incapable of feeling guilt over the massacre of his family. "But she's not the Living Gate. She's my sister. Can't you two both get along?"

"I've tried," he sighed. "But when I look into those red eyes, I see a coldhearted and ruthless murderer."

Neko knew that to be true. Unlike her, Kat was capable of murder. It was part of her job as a mercenary and she was deadly efficient at the job. Neko had killed demons and Imagin but only because she had to. Kat killed because she was paid to, which left a bitter taste in Neko's mind. Kat enjoyed spilling blood than it was healthy for…well, anyone that was normal. Still, Neko saw her as a sister and they were pretty close, having shared the same body for the first 19 years of their lives.

"She's not ALL bad," Neko defended.

"Well, until I see for myself that she's different, I will treat her like that," said Kenzaki. As much as he loved Neko, he couldn't lie to himself and bring himself to treat Kat nicely. Though he couldn't kill her because of Neko, that didn't mean he wouldn't give a few verbal jabbing to rile Kat up. Unfortunately, she didn't really care about what he had to say…Until he made the mistake by talking about Rose.

It was a miracle that the GaroLiner was still working since that happened.

* * *

"_YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" roared Kat as she threw Kenzaki across the room before rushing at him with her psychic energy claws out. She wanted to slice him to pieces._

_Kenzaki had made a comment on how Rose could do better than Kat and then when Kat said that Rose loved her, Kenzaki said that Rose was just as crazy as her. Now, Kat could shrug off any insults aimed at her but nobody spoke about her Rosie-chan like that and got away with it. Just ask that one guy still in the hospital after calling Rose a 'dyke'._

_Kenzaki dodged out of the way and the wall behind him had long claw marks from Kat. She snarled and eyed him hatefully before giving him a violent kick in the chest. He fell on top of a table and broke it in half. She then mounted him and started to slash away at his body, tearing up his shirt and leaving deep cuts in his metal coated body. Kenzaki was grateful that he couldn't feel pain but still he had to get her off him._

"_NEE-CHAN!" Neko screamed, "YAMETTE KUDASAI!" She didn't want them to fight. She wanted them to get along. Seeing as Kat wouldn't stop attacking her boyfriend, she knelt down and shot forward. Along the way she touched the chain that hung around her neck and instantly her skin, clothes and hair turned into solid metal. She grabbed onto Kat and pulled her off Kenzaki. Kat struggled against her sister's grip, in a berserker rage, roaring and snarling like a beast. Neko got scratched but the metal skin of hers protected her. Kenzaki got up and then slammed his fist hard into her stomach, knocking her out._

* * *

After that, Kenzaki had kicked Kat out because she couldn't control herself. She'd spat at his face before exiting in anger.

Neither had apologized for their actions.

"Still, you were in the wrong for insulting Rose," said Neko. "You know how much Kat-neechan loves her. She will attack anyone that harms or insults her."

"I know I said the wrong thing but you do know she's not an easy person to apologize to," he rebutted.

"I know," Neko agreed. "I'm afraid the next time she sees you she's going to tear off your penis, shove it down your throat, rip off your head and then stick it on a spike while she has your body crucified and burnt right before getting your head shrunk."

Kenzaki gave his girlfriend a strange look after what she'd said and she added, "We shared the same body for a long time so I understand how she thinks. Trust me, she can do a whole lot worse."

Kenzaki was just glad his girlfriend only had strange ideas and didn't act upon them. Kat, however, had little to no restraint. Still, Kat was being a bad influence on Neko if she was getting such strange ideas.

* * *

"Kotonoha-chan!" yelled out Kat as she jumped the girl.

Smoosh! Smoosh!

"Eyaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Kotonoha screamed as Kat started to squeeze her boobs from behind. Both were in the girls' locker room getting changed for gym. Both class 3 and 4 had the same gym period.

"Wow, you're nice, big and soft. No matter my little bro likes you!" purred Kat.

"Kat-san, please get off!" Kotonoha waved her arms up and down as she screamed.

"I need help with that!" she grinned lecherously.

"Eyaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

The other girls just stared at the spectacle and backed away from Kat. She smirked and then removed her grip from Kotonoha.

"Now for Nana-chan!" Kat pounced on the taller girl. Nanami shrieked out as she was being molested.

* * *

Out on the field, the boys of Class 3 and 4 were having a soccer match. Even though his male classmates were afraid of Ryuji, they couldn't doubt his skills at athletics. He'd scored them another goal. Class 2-4 was leading at 10 to 3.

"OK," Ryuji grinned as he now had the ball. He looked around and saw some of the opposing players coming at him, identified by their blue arm bands. The boys of class 2-4 had on red arm bands. He kicked up the ball, caught it on his knee before tossing it into the air. He then jumped up and gave the hall a head butt. "Itou!"

Makoto heard and then saw the ball coming at him. He cushioned it with his chest and it rolled down to his feet. He then started to run with the ball towards the goal. When he got close, he gave it a kick but it was deflected by the goalie. The ball flew through the air and the players were hoping to catch it.

"Mine!" shouted Ryuji as he jumped up, using Taisuke's shoulders as a springboard, before executing a kick that smashed into the ball. The ball rocketed across the field but the goalie still caught it. However, the force of the impact sent him skidding behind the line.

"Goal!" their gym teacher blew the whistle. "Point to Class 4!"

"Ow…" groaned Taisuke as he rubbed his shoulders. "Did you have to jump on my shoulders like that?"

"Oh, suck it up," snorted Ryuji.

"Yeah, the girls are watching!" pointed Vash.

And it was true. The girls were actually running laps around the field. Some that were taking a short break were watching the soccer match. Kotonoha was cheering on Ryuji. "Ryuji!" She waved. He waved right back at her.

Kat sat down next to her and Kotonoha cast the girl a wary glance. Kat snickered and said, "Don't worry yourself. I'm not going to grope you right now." She added mentally, '_But later you're fair game…_'

Kotonoha actually wanted to tell Ryuji but that would be so embarrassing. In the locker room, Kat had molested the breasts of Sekai, Nanami, Hikari, Otome and Kotonoha as well as a good number of the other girls. They all shied away from her. Kat loved freaking people out. This would make winning friends hard but she didn't really care. It was all in good fun.

Ryuji narrowed his eyes at Kat. Though he was on much better terms with her now, he just didn't trust her at all. That was a bit hypocritical since they were more alike than he'd like to admit. They were both Yins and loved violence.

Ryuji gave his girlfriend and sister one last glance before going back to the game. He'd scored a few goals but maybe it was time to give someone else a chance.

"OK, the next ball is mine!" grinned Vash.

* * *

Vash and Taisuke were both in the infirmary after having the ball slam into their crotches hard. They couldn't stand up for a good while. One was accidental while the other was deliberate. I'll let you guess who kicked the ball and who the deliberate victim was.

Luckily for the girls, Kat hadn't gone and groped them in the shower. Afterwards while they were getting dressed, however…

You know what she did so there's no reason for me to type it here since it's so obvious judging by her behavior.

It was lunch period now and Ryuji was hungry. His class had won with 30 points compared to the other class' measly 12. It just put him in a good mood, especially after what'd happened with Taisuke.

Ryuji waited on the roof which was the usual spot where he would have lunch with Kotonoha. He himself had brought along a bento to share with her. Loki had made it for him but he was really looking forward to having lunch with his girlfriend.

His sharp hearing caught the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs but then he frowned when he heard two more sets of footsteps. If his guest was correct, then…

Makoto was the first to exit, followed by Kotonoha and Sekai. While Sekai had already been crossed out of his list, Makoto was still on it with Taisuke and Nanimo's names.

Nanimo…that bastard was going to pay for what he did. NOBODY turned Ryuji Hasuma into a puppet, twice, and got away with it.

* * *

Kat was starting to regret her actions in the locker room a little bit as she now sat alone at a table with a bowl of ramen in front of her. The girls were avoiding her because she'd groped their breasts and the boys were avoiding her after she'd thrown that ball hard into Vash's groin. Well, it was his fault the ball nearly hit her. Thank goodness for her quick reflexes.

Bobby was currently hiding from a 'mob of lunatics' (fangirls) who just thought he was too cute. Kat could go look for him if she wanted but she just didn't want to. Besides, he was a big boy and could take care of himself.

She stirred the soup around in her bowl, sighing. Without Rose and Cathy she was feeling a little lonely. She did want friends but her insane nature would surface and drive them away. It'd happened before and now history was repeating itself. She just couldn't help herself and let her actions go out of control. Now, she was friendless and…

"Mind if we sit down?" asked Nanami with Hikari next to her. Both wore smiles on their faces and Kat was stunned.

"You want…to sit with me?" Kat blinked.

"Hey, you're our friend," smiled Hikari. "Why wouldn't we want to sit with you?" She warned, though, "Just don't grope me again."

"Ah, didn't get much out of you anyway," Kat shrugged her comment off. "Kotonoha-chan has bigger and softer ones anyway that you can just sink your teeth into…" She caught the looks Nanami and Hikari were giving her. "Hey, I am what I am."

"Right…" agreed Nanami. "Anyway, you got a good throwing arm. Ever thought of joining the basketball team?"

* * *

Makoto tried to eat but his appetite wasn't exactly huge, not with Ryuji giving him an ice cold glare between bites. He wondered if Ryuji was thinking of doing to him like he did to that piece of chicken and rip him to shreds. That thought made him gulp.

Kotonoha and Sekai, having repaired their friendship long ago, were talking animatedly and completely oblivious to Makoto's plight. Makoto couldn't say a word since he was afraid that would set Ryuji off. After last week when Ryuji had beaten up Taisuke, Makoto reminded himself to be careful around Ryuji…REALLY careful as if his life depended on it, which it probably did.

Also, a few days after school began, some group calling themselves the 'Kotonoha Love-Love Association' had started up, claming Kotonoha as theirs and accusing Ryuji of monopolizing her. It didn't take long for Ryuji to show them their place.

* * *

_As Kotonoha and Ryuji were walking through the gate, the sudden sound of a gong attracted their attention towards the source. There, standing before them, were forte male students, with armbands holding Kotonoha's name and holding up a banner with her name on it. Some even had her picture on their sleeves. _

"_What the…hell?" Ryuji spoke up._

"_RYUJI HASUMA!" shouted a guy holding a bullhorn who looked like he was twice the age he was supposed to be, "WE ARE THE KOTONOHA LOVE-LOVE ASSOCIATION!"_

_This was just too weird for Ryuji and he fought time-traveling monsters for a living. He gave Kotonoha a look and she hid behind him, scared out of her wits. Ryuji's eyes narrowed._

_The bullhorn guy continued, "SINCE LAST YEAR WE HAVE TRIED TO WOO THE BEAUTIFUL KOTONOHA KATSURA, BUT HAVE REACHED FAILURE FOR WE WERE WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER. WHEN WE HEARD SHE WAS DATING YOU, WE BECAME SCARED BUT NOW THAT WE ARE TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG! YOU SHALL__ NO LONGER MONOPOLIZE HER ANY LONGER! YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF HER!"_

_Ryuji was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. How dare they…?_

"_NOW, WE DEMAND YOU LEAVE KOTONOHA KATSURA OR ELSE WE WILL-" he never got to finish his sentence as Ryuji charged right at him and gave him a hard punch in the face. The bullhorn fell to the ground and Ryuji crushed it under his foot._

"_Who's next?" he challenged, cracking his knuckles._

* * *

Makoto was surprised that they were even alive after Ryuji got through with them. He'd witnessed the carnage with Sekai. On one hand, he was appalled that Ryuji would beat up those boys so badly. Then again, they really had it coming.

Sekai had watched Ryuji tear through the ranks with satisfaction. At one point she would have been upset at Ryuji for hurting those guys so badly, but that was then and this was now. Kotonoha had confessed that Ryuji was really sensitive about people criticizing his relationship with her. He hated it when people said he wasn't worthy of her when he was obviously working to rein in his temper and try to talk things over instead of clobbering people.

Kotonoha herself was also upset with the 'Love-Love Association'. How dare they say Ryuji wasn't good enough for her? She'd chosen him to be her boyfriend as he'd chosen her to be his girlfriend. They mutually loved and understood each other. Also, it made her angry how these 'fanboys' would unknowingly attack the one person keeping this world safe from the Imagin. They were ungrateful bastards in her eyes.

* * *

After the bell rang, the school day ended without incident. Students who didn't have clubs or extra duties on that day were headed for home while those who did stayed.

As Kotonoha and Ryuji were about to approach the gate, the 'Kotonoha Love-Love Association' once again made an appearance, this time recruiting members from the martial arts clubs to their cause.

"You're pretty popular," said Ryuji to Kotonoha.

"I didn't ask for this," she frowned.

"RYUJI HASUMA! LAST TIME WE WERE UNPREPARED!" the bullhorn guy shouted. Ryuji just palmed his face. "HOWEVER, THIS TIME WE WILL DEFEAT YOU! NOW STEP AWAY FROM THE BEAUTIFUL KOTONOHA KATSURA AND WE MAY SHOW YOU MERCY!"

Sighing, Ryuji handed his bag and jacket to Kotonoha. "Hold these for me. This won't take long." Kotonoha then watched as Ryuji went to confront the group.

"Be careful," she said to him.

Through Kotonoha, Athena admired how Ryuji systematically and violently punished them for their actions. It was just what she would've done to them for treating her host like a prize.

Half an hour later ambulances came to pick up the unlucky victims of Ryuji's wrath. Kat was not too far, having witnesses the show, and smirked. "Just what I would've done, little brother. I gotta admit that you sure have style."

"Wow, he sure gave it to them," admired Hikari as she walked over to Kat. She knew Ryuji was tough but fighting that many people on his own was clearly impressive.

"It's his specialty," nodded Kat. She had wanted to join in but decided to just watch and enjoy the show. Too bad she didn't have snacks. She could also see Nanami standing with Hikari. "No practice?" she inquired.

"They cancelled today," sighed Nanami. She was a little disappointed since she wanted to go one-on-one with Kat.

"Too bad," Kat said sympathetically. Team sports were fun, especially when fights broke out.

"Oh, don't feel down, Nanami." Hikari suggested cheerfully, "Ooh, I know! Let's go shopping!"

"Hell, yeah!" grinned Kat. She was still a girl and loved to shop just like any other girl even if she was a bit tomboyish.

* * *

Neko was taking a walk in the King's Terminal after collecting her reward for a B-Class bounty. Kenzaki had gone somewhere, so she was just killing time. She blushed slightly as she passed an Adult Bookstore. Despite technically being 21, she was still innocent when it came to things like this. Imagine her surprise when she saw her boyfriend walk out of said store, carrying a bag no less. "KENZAKI TSUKUBA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" she screamed.

Kenzaki looked at Neko with a smile. "**Neko-chan!**" he said in an uncharacteristically happy voice. "**Give me a kiss!**" She gave him her reply with a swift punch to the face. A crimson haze flew out of his body before reforming into Buraki, one of Kenzaki's Imagin partners.

Kenzaki sat up, rubbing the spot where his girlfriend had slugged him. "Neko!" he shouted, "Why did you hit me!" He then looked at the bag in his hand. "And why do I have porn?"

Neko pointed at Buraki. "Your ero-Imagin possessed you!" she shouted. Neko then picked up one of the DVD's and blushed at the cover. "What are we gonna do with these?"

Buraki then shot up. "I have a few ideas!" he said excitedly.

"BAKA HENTAI!" screeched Neko.

**PUNCH!**

"Neko-chan's punches are her way of showing love…Itai," groaned Buraki as he lay on the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile, both Ryuji and Kotonoha were on a date. After finishing their homework together, Ryuji decided to take Kotonoha out for dinner at the King's Terminal. This was probably his way of trying to forget about the 'Love-Love Association'. Honestly, didn't they have lives?

While both Kotonoha and Ryuji were having dinner at a restaurant that was situated in the King's Terminal, Kotonoha decided to ask a question that's been on her mind for quite some time, "Ryuji-kun, when can I become a Rider?"

Ryuji hated that question, though he had to admire Kotonoha in wanting a more active role in his adventures. "When you're ready."

"And when will that be?" she asked. "You've been training me all this time. Don't you think I'm ready?"

"I don't," he shook his head. '_I just don't want you getting hurt_.' The memory of how Tazuka had died protecting Ryuki came into mind. He didn't want Kotonoha having to push him out of the way of a violent attack and receiving it instead.

"Then when will I BE ready?" she asked.

Ryuji had been mulling over this for weeks. As long as she went through a complete day of Kamen Rider level training then she would be considered to become a Rider. Still, Ryuji really didn't want her harmed in anyway. However, she felt strongly about this. She wanted to be of use to him.

Maybe…he could give her a chance…maybe.

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe how much we've bought!" said Hikari as she carried some shopping bags with her. Even Nanami and Kat had their fair share of bags. It was late and the three girls were heading home for the night.

Kat actually had a pretty nice time with these girls. The only interaction she had back in school was mostly with Ryuki and his friends. She did have Eri for a friend though and she really did miss hanging out with her. This just reminded Kat how fun it was to just hang out and be normal for a change.

The three of them had hung out at the mall and tried out outfits and shoes. They had also gone for some karaoke and played at the arcade where Kat got the highest score at a motorbike racing game. They even gossiped about a few of the boys. When Kenzaki's name came up, Kat wore a frown. Like Ryuji, she could hold a grudge for a really long time if necessary.

This also gave Nanami and Hikari a chance to get to know their new friend. While Kat wasn't groping them, she proved to be excellent company if not a little hyperactive and ideas that border-lined on insane.

"Hey, cuties," a disgustingly sly voice said. The three girls soon found themselves with a trio of punks. They leered at the girls in a way that disturbed them. Hikari was scared and moved closer to Nanami who gave them all a glare. Kat was giving her own glare too. One guy had a shaved head, another had dreadlocks and the last one had greasy hair.

They were just some local punks trying to get lucky with girls. As if.

"So, wanna hang with us?" the bald one asked, casting a glance at Nanami.

"3 for 3," the greasy haired one said.

"I like the one with the hair loopies," smirked the one with dreadlocks.

Nanami was about to speak when Kat beat her to it, "Sorry, boys, but I'm allergic to the smell of trash. Also, put on some deodorant and brush your teeth. You stink."

This just got them mad and the bald one grabbed her shoulder, "Hey, nobody talks-"

**WHAM!**

He dropped to his knees while holding his stomach and doubled over, throwing up at her feet. Kat had just sucker punched him in the stomach after dropping her shopping bags. He took a step back to not ruin her new shoes. The bald one's friends didn't look happy as they glared at her.

"I suggest you both stand back," warned Kat to her new friends as she removed her jacket and tossed it aside. "This might get a bit messy." She saw one of them take out a switch blade, "_Very_ messy." Her pupils briefly narrowed to cat-like slits as she flexed her fingers. '_This is going to be fun_.'

* * *

"NANI?" a young man cried out.

This young man in question was a generic looking fellow who could be easily forgotten. He was surrounded by a group of fellow generic students. All of them carried a picture of one Kotonoha Katsura in their pockets. It was their way of identifying each other as a member of the Kotonoha Love-Love Association. They were all in a hospital room where their leader was recovering from the worst of Ryuji's wrath. He had thought that beating up the leader the worst was the best way to stop their nonsense. Of course, these guys weren't known for their collective brain power.

These young men had just found out where Ryuji was living at the moment.

"YOU MEAN HE'S LIVING WITH HER?" the generic fellow cried. "THIS CAN'T BE!"

"Impossible!"

"Poor Kotonoha-chan!"

"How he must be ravishing her!"

"That lucky dog!"

"WE MUST STOP THIS TRAVESTY!" the leader shouted. "WE HAVE BEEN PLAYING NICE BEFORE, BUT THAT STOPS NOW! FOR THE SAKE OF KOTONOHA KATSURA WE MUST DEFEAT RYUJI HASUMA!"

"YAAHHHHHHH!" the collected members roared.

Hovering above the KLLA was a golden orb that was having trouble choosing a contractor and host. It continued to listen as the KLLA members all proclaimed that they would defeat Ryuji and claim Kotonoha's heart. What fools these humans be. Deciding to just choose one and get it over with, the golden orb flew into the angry mob of idiots.

* * *

"Tadaima!" Kat greeted as she entered the Katsuras' residence with a large grin on her face.

"Okaeri nasai," greeted Loki. "Dinner is cold but I can warm it up for you."

"Oh, good!" grinned Kat, "Thanks! I'm starving!" After all, beating up three punks did give her an appetite.

* * *

The three punks were all sprawled on the sidewalk sporting various injuries. The one with the greasy hair got his switchblade used against him and stabbed into his thigh before Kat went to town with him, slamming him against the wall of a building and a lamppost repeatedly. Another got a traffic cone shoved so high up his ass he wouldn't be able to walk straight for a week and was lying face down while groaning in pain. The bald one, who was the leader, was black and blue all over with his teeth knocked out when she'd punched and kicked him all over without mercy.

It'd all happened so quickly and what was worse was that they'd been beaten up by a girl! Their male egos were wounded by this and they felt shame and humiliation.

"That…bitch…" the bald one managed to say as he picked himself up and used the wall to support himself. "That fucking bitch…"

A golden orb hovered above him and listened.

"I'm going to kill that bitch! No, first I'm gonna rape her then kill her! Maybe I can share her with the other guys," he laughed painfully.

The orb now knew that he would be a perfect host and contract holder so it darted into his body. Sand spilled out from the bald punk's body and reformed into a figure made of sand.

"Tell me your wish," the Imagin said. "I will grant you any wish."

* * *

Kenzaki let out a yawn as he made his way towards his beloved girlfriend's room. "Neko!" he called from behind the door. "It's time to get up." There was no response. "Hm, that's weird. Neko never oversleeps." He then heard moan from the other side of the door.

"Oh! Ken-kun!" he heard Neko moan.

Kenzaki became concerned now. Thinking something was wrong, Kenzaki punched in the override code and the door slid open. Kenzaki stepped in and was struck speechless at the sight before him. Neko was in bed, writhing beneath the covers. Her face was covered by a deep blush. She was panting and moaning, occasionally saying he boyfriend's name. Kenzaki reached for her shoulder so he could slowly shake her awake. However, his hand was caught by Neko, who then placed it firmly against her breast. "They need attention too, Ken-kun," she moaned.

A blush quickly formed on the bounty hunter's face. He tried to move his hand, but found that Neko had a surprisingly good grip on it. He then made the mistake of trying to break free from Neko's grasp with his free hand. However, just like his other hand, this one felt itself placed on Neko's other breast.

'_So soft…_' mused Kenzaki, '_why can't she be like this when she's awake?_' He looked down when he felt Neko shift. '_Kuso! She's waking up!_' He tried his hardest to remove his hands from the soft pillows they were pressed against.

He looked down again and saw Neko looking up at him.

Several seconds of silence passed between them.

"Um…good morning?" he asked with a sweatdrop.

* * *

"!"

**SMASH!**

In the dining car, everyone had heard Neko's loud feminine scream as well as the sound of something being hit hard against the wall. When the door to the dining car slid open, Kenzaki could be seen by the rest of the crew walking out and sporting a large red handprint on his face. "Don't say a word," warned Kenzaki.

"Ah…" groaned Buraki. "Why are you so grumpy? You finally got to feel up Neko-chan!" The Imoogi was silenced when Kumiko slammed her fist into his face.

* * *

As soon as Gekiryuken had told Neko what had really happened, she was mortified.

"You mean…I was…" Neko tried to grasp this bit of information, "Having a sex dream?"

"To put it bluntly, yes," replied Gekiryuken.

She blushed bright red. "Oh, kami!" she covered her face with her hands. "I need to apologize to him!" She paused, "But how will I face him!"

* * *

Neko poked her head into the dining car to see Kenzaki's back facing the door. He didn't look like he noticed her but then Shiori saw her and greeted, "Ohayo, Neko-chan! What would you like for breakfast?"

As soon as Kenzaki heard her name he turned his head around to look at her. Images from her dream came rushing into her mind and caused her to blush bright red. "You OK, Neko?" asked Kenzaki. Her face became as red as a cherry before she sprinted out of the room. "Great, now she won't even look at me…"

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Look like the 'Yin-Duo' are gonna have some trouble next chap. Wonder if they can work together well? Also, Neko's gonna have trouble facing Kenzaki. Thanks Shadow Element 13 for editing and Ten-Faced Paladin for detailing.


	13. Save the Life and Protect the Heart

"_Alright, I don't get what the big deal is here," said Kat as she and Rose were in their bedroom._

"_Kat, this is the 5__th__ time Cathy has been sent to the principal's office for picking fights," Rose reminded. "Of course it's a big deal."_

"_Those bitches probably deserved it," snorted Kat. "So, Cathy likes to express herself. It's not a bad thing."_

"_It is when it can risk her getting suspended or, worse yet, expelled!" Rose shot back. _

"_Then we'll home school her," Kat argued._

"_And who'll teach her? Wintergreen, dad, or you?" Rose said._

"_What is that supposed to mean?" Kat's eyes narrowed._

"_You're not stable! If you spend anymore time with Cathy she's going to grow up to be just like you!"_

"_You're saying that like it's a bad thing," smirked Kat._

"_Back then, it wasn't, but we've grown up, Kat," Rose reasoned. "We have to be responsible parents!"_

"_I AM a responsible parent!" Kat shot back._

"_Teaching our daughter to SHOOT first and ask questions NEVER is not what a responsible parent would do!"_

"_Oh, you're one to talk! Your DAD is freakin' DEATHSTROKE THE TERMINATOR! With him as a role model, what do you know about being responsible!?" Kat yelled. _

"_I KNOW PLENTY!"_

"_YOU'RE JUST AS CLUELESS AS I AM!"_

"_AT LEAST I CARE ENOUGH FOR OUR DAUGHTER!"_

"_**MY**__ DAUGHTER! I WAS THE ON THAT ADOPTED HER! YOU WERE JUST THERE TO HELP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME HOW TO RAISE HER!"_

_That was when Kat realised what she'd said and gasped. Rose trembled as she gripped her fists. "Rose, I didn't mean…" Kat began._

"_Get out," Rose ordered._

"_But I-"_

"_I SAID GET OUT!"_

* * *

Kat's eyes were watering as she looked down at her notebook. Tears dripped onto the paper, ruining her writing. Raising her hand, she asked, "Sensei, may I go out and use the bathroom?"

* * *

At the sink, Kat splashed her face with water but then she gripped the sink and broke down, her shoulders shaking. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Gomen nasai, Rosie-cha. Gomen nasai…" She looked at the mirror and reached out to touch her reflection which, in her eyes, turned into Rose's image. "I want…to see you…again…" she sobbed.

**

* * *

  
**

**"SAVE THE LIFE AND PROTECT THE HEART"**

* * *

The final bell of the day had rung, telling students that it was either time to go home or that it was time for club activities. For Kat Hasuma it was the latter.

She was in the gymnasium, in her gym clothes, watching as the girls' basketball team practiced. She could see Nanami with the ball and Otome running alongside her to get the ball away from her. Kat just sat on the sidelines, hugging her legs to her chest.

Kat loved Rose. There was never a time when they didn't. Yes, they did have fights like any other couple but this one was something else. She really wanted t apologize but most of all she wanted to see his beloved Rose and Cathy again. Damn her and her stubborn pride! Why couldn't she just apologize straight away and get it over with?

Being in this world was the only way for the former Zodiac Knight of Cats to clear her mind. She'd heard that they didn't have any superheroes here until the Kamen Riders first showed up. Sauron had also been here and Kat had wanted to fight her. Kat hated being manipulated by that dark entity which had dictated much of her actions.

Meeting Bobby for the first time not so long ago had been interesting. She could remember it.

* * *

"_Cathy-chan!" shouted Kat as she ran with Cathy along the streets with several black clad figures wearing belts with hawks on the buckle and white eyes. "Nigette!"_

_Kat had arrived in time to see some black clad man start grabbing random teens. When they made a grab for Cathy, she lost it and tore through them and grabbed Cathy. They chased after the two without giving up. Kat managed to knock away the ones who got too close._

"_Mama, let me fight!" Cathy insisted._

"_No!" Kat shot back. "Not these guys!" From the start she'd noticed that these men weren't normal. "Just run!" Cathy didn't have her Rider System with her and even her invisibility proved useless against them. Running was the only way._

_Normally, Kat wouldn't run but her daughter's safety was at stake and she wasn't about to let some freaks get her._

_BANG!_

"_Ugh!" Kat held her bleeding shoulder where a bullet had grazed her._

"_Mama!" Cathy gasped._

"_Just a flesh wound!" Kat told her. She turned her head over her shoulder to see another figure. She could tell it was different from the others due to the outline of their body._

_After running for so long, Kat decided that the time for it was over. She had to fight, like she was taught to, in order to protect Cathy. She wouldn't even need backup._

"_Cathy-chan, stay behind me," instructed Kat as she stood in front of her daughter. "These bastards are mine."_

_She made good on her promise and started to knock them around without a care. She punched, kicked, elbowed and kneed them savagely and even used her hard head on them. They fell like flies after getting too close to a bug zapper. Why had she been running?_

_Panting, Kat grinned as she saw the fallen men clad in black. Walking over to one who was still conscious, she knelt down and asked, "Who sent you?" She didn't get an answer and slapped his masked face, "WHO!?"_

"_GIN-SHOCKER__," she heard and spun around to see a humanoid tiger wearing a black jumpsuit with clawed boots and gun barrels attached to his wrists. He held Cathy against his chest, with one hand covering her mouth and the other one with its guns aimed at her head._

_Ka snarled, "Let Cathy-chan go."_

"_I'm afraid not. You see we have big plans for her," the Machine Tiger-Man said. "Big plans. We're going to turn her into one of our own."_

"_Fat chance!" Kat tried to move forward but heard the click of his gun and froze._

_Machine Tiger-Man chuckled, "Not one step or she dies. We can get others like her so she's not expendable."_

"_Bastard…" Kat growled._

"_Just kneel down and we may let her go," said Machine Tiger-Man._

"_I KNEEL TO NO ONE!" roared Kat angrily but she could see the look on Cathy's face. Her daughter was scared. She didn't want to die and Kat wasn't about to let her die either. "Damn it," she cursed. If she was to save Cathy she would have to swallow that pride of hers and do as he said._

"_Kneel," Machine Tiger-Man said._

_Kat hesitated, fists gripped._

"_Mama…" Cathy spoke up. "Please…"_

"_I said kneel," repeated Machine Tiger-Man._

"_OK," Kat obeyed as she got on her knees. "There. Now let her go."_

"_OK," grinned Machine Tiger-Man as he tossed Cathy aside. He then stalked towards Kat and aimed his guns at her head. "Bye-bye." Kat kept her head down._

"_NO!" Cathy shouted as she jumped on Machine Tiger-Man's back and started hitting him. He threw her off._

"_BITCH!"_

_BANG! _

_A shot._

"_Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"_

_A scream._

_Kat's head shot up and she saw Cathy with a bleeding wound in her stomach. Her eyes widened…and then it seemed time had stopped._

_She heard a voice ask, "Do you love her?"_

_Kat didn't even hesitate, "Yes."_

"_Do you wish to save her?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Would you want the power to do so?"_

_Kat didn't even think of her answer, "Yes!"_

"_OK! Here it comes!"_

* * *

The first time she'd transformed in a long time had been incredible. She'd been able to defeat Machine Tiger-Man with her axes before taking Cathy to the Titans so she could be healed. Even if Kat and the Titans weren't exactly the best of friends, they could not refuse her.

GIN-SHOCKER had gained an enemy in Kat that day and as Kamen Rider CopyKat she'd sworn to destroy them. '_I can swallow my pride for a bit to apologize and admit I was wrong. There are more important things in this life than pride_.'

"Hey, Kat!" Nanami shouted. "Heads up!" She tossed the ball at her and she caught it. "Show us what you can do!"

"OK!" nodded Kat. She got to her feet and ran into the court.

* * *

Ryuji was walking with Kotonoha to the gate when they saw the same group of boys calling themselves the 'Kotonoha Love-Love Association' standing in their way. Ryuji grumbled as Kotonoha sighed. Didn't they get it after the last beating? Apparently they didn't.

"What do you idiots want? Another beating?" questioned Ryuji. "Didn't I already send you to the hospital? You want me to send you there again?"

"RYUJI HASUMA!" the leader holding the bullhorn shouted, "WE HAVE BEEN GOING EASY ON YOU BUT NO MORE!"

Ryuji couldn't help but laugh, angering them, "_You_ have been going easy on _me_? Hah! It's the other way around here, buster! But if you want another beating then you've got it." He cracked his knuckles.

"OH, DON'T BE FOOLISH! WE WILL NOT BE THE ONE TO FIGHT YOU! OUR MASCOT WILL BE THE ONE TO DO IT!"

"Mascot?" Kotonoha and Ryuji parroted. Suddenly, Ryuji's watch began to beep, telling him that there was trouble.

'_Imagin!_" both he and Kotonoha realised.

The KLLA parted and allowed a figure to walk forward. It was humanoid but with a jackal's head that wore sunglasses, bandages around its forearms and calves, and wearing a black chest plate with red straps running across his boy from his right shoulder to his left hip and from his left shoulder to his right hip, making an 'X'. "THIS IS OUR MASCOT! JACK!"

Jack the Jackal Imagin grinned, showing off his sharp teeth.

Ryuji couldn't take it and shouted angrily, "You idiots! Don't you know what he is? He's one of those monsters!"

"TO FREE KOTONOHA KATSURA FROM YOUR DIRTY GRASP, WE ARE WILLING TO SELL OUR SOULS TO HE DEVIL HIMSELF IF WE MUST!"

"Kuso," growled Ryuji angrily at their stupidity. Jack then lunged at Ryuji and he dodged to the side from a claw swipe.

"All I gotta do is kill you and my contract will be complete!" the Jackal Imagin boasted.

"Like I'm going to let you!" Ryuji shot back. '_Koto-chan's here so I can't risk fighting here. I can't transform in front of these bozos either_.' "But if you want to fight, then follow me!" He then turned and ran.

"Come back here!" Jack shouted as he ran after Ryuji. He was going to complete his contract one way or another.

The KLLA laughed at Ryuji's act of 'cowardice'. They watched as Ryuji ran. Kotonoha felt her anger rise at these bastards, risking the world just so they could have her. It was unforgivable!

She reached into the back of her jacket and the sound of metal sliding out of leather could be heard. She was going to get her point across one way or another.

She marched towards the KLLA, her eyes narrowed as she held her dozuki behind her. These idiots who were lusting after hr thought she had come to her senses. Their leader approached her, his bullhorn held at his side, and said, "Kotonoha Katsura, I am so glad you-" He froze when he felt sharp teeth and cold steel at his throat. "What?" The rest were stunned to see her holding the dozuki at their leader's throat and looking murderous.

"Let's talk," said Kotonoha in a commanding voice that was so unlike her as their image of her started to crack.

* * *

In the gymnasium, a large creature had crashed through wall, causing the basketball team to scream. Kat didn't scream and remained silent with her eyes narrowed. As the dust cleared, she could see what it was.

It was an Imagin with the head of an elephant and large tusks. It was wearing samurai armor and holding a pair of spiked maces. Its large feet were in boots and its eyes were red. "I am Elephant-Maru!" the Elephant Imagin announced. "And I have come to-" A ball bounced off his head and the Imagin glared at Kat.

"Whatever you want, it isn't here," Kat said, another ball in hand. "So, get out."

The Elephant Imagin narrowed his eyes at Kat, recognizing her as the one his contract holder wanted dead. "YOU!" he roared and then she charged at Kat.

"Kat!" shouted Nanami. "Run!"

"I'm through running!" shouted Kat as she charged right back at the Imagin and threw her fist. She managed to hit him between the eyes, causing Elephant-Maru to stumble back. Kat then used several boxing moves on the Imagin, striking him in the chest, stomach and face relentlessly. Those present in the gym all watched, stunned, as Kat fought one of those monsters without fear.

Elephant-Maru growled and swung down at Kat with his mace. She sidestepped it and the weapon was imbedded in the floor. However, his second one managed to hit her and sent her skidding along the floor on her side. She groaned in pain as she held her dislocated shoulder before popping it back into place.

The Elephant Imagin stalked towards her, maces gripped tightly, ready to crush her but all of a sudden he was being bombarded by balls. Kat looked to see the basketball team throwing the balls at the Elephant Imagin. '_They're helping me,_' she thought, '_Idiots, they'll get killed!_' but then she saw the look in Nanami's eyes. She wasn't about to let her friend get hurt.

Kat was touched. They were helping her despite the apparent danger they were putting themselves in. She just had to return the favour. "Hey, hosehead! You want me? Come get me!" she challenged before running towards the hole the Elephant Imagin had made earlier. She then pulled down the skin under her right eye and stuck out her tongue, taunting him. "Come on, you stupid pachyderm!"

* * *

Ryuji managed to lead the Jackal Imagin away to the back of the school building where there wasn't anyone there to be harmed. Hopefully, Kotonoha was dealing with the KLLA. If not then he was going to teach them a lesson for even thinking of making a contract with an Imagin. The nerve and just so they could lust after his girlfriend without interference?

The Jackal Imagin slashed at Ryuji, tearing at his shirt. Fortunately, Ryuji didn't get cut. Still, that had been close. "Now, you're mine," Jack said grinning. He stalked towards Ryuji when all of a sudden the large body of the Elephant Imagin flew through the air and slammed into the Jackal Imagin and landed on top of him.

"Get off me!" the Jackal Imagin snarled as he flailed about under the weight of the Elephant Imagin. The Elephant Imagin only had one of his maces.

Ryuji blinked and then looked to his side to see Kat walking over with one of the Elephant Imagin's maces in hand. "And that was a homerun," Kat joked.

Ryuji sneered at the two Imagin before looking at Kat. He asked as he summoned his belt and took out his Rider Pass, "You too, huh?"

"Yup, and elephant boy ruined my game," she said. She summoned her belt as she took out her Byakko no Gai card.

"Then let's teach them a lesson," said Ryuji. "Henshin!"

"I like the sound of that," smirked Kat. "Henshin!"

* * *

The leader of the KLLA was frozen in fear. Looking into Kotonoha's eyes he didn't see any gentleness being reflected in them. Instead, he could see the cold eyes of death that promised a slow and painful death. "Kotonoha..." the leader spoke up. "Please be reasonable." The teeth of the dozuki dug into the neck of his neck, drawing blood. One false move and he would lose his head over a girl, literally.

"What right do you have to say that Ryuji-kun isn't good enough for me?" she said, her voice cold and devoid of emotion. "What right do you have to even suggest that?"

"Because...you deserve better," the KLLA leader answered and flinched when she pressed the dozuki into his neck. He gulped. His followers weren't sure what to do.

"Wrong answer," she said. She had chosen Ryuji. "And for your information, Ryuji-kun never forced me to be his girlfriend. Contrary to popular belief, he actually became my friend first and got to know me. He never even thought of courting me."

The KLLA just listened as she went on.

"You all claim to love me," she said. "Well, to love means to know. What is my favourite colour? What is my favourite food? What do I like to do to relax?" she asked. Nobody answered. "You don't know. You never tried to know." The grip on her dozuki tightened.

"Last year you drove each other away trying to gain my attention and made the girls hate me," she accused. "Then I met Makoto-kun." She smiled at the happy times she'd shared with Makoto only for them to end due to his unfaithfulness. Her frown returned, "Then when things didn't work out between us Ryuji-kun came. He helped me during my state of depression by just being there for me." She asked, "Did any of you ever try to talk to me before Ryuji-kun came along? Did any of you try to talk to me when I was sad? Maybe then I would've wanted to be friends." She pressed on, "But none of you were brave enough to try and make a move but when Ryuji-kun had done the impossible, you gang up to drive away the boy that makes me happy and the one I love." She withdrew her dozuki and warned, "If any of you pull this stunt again, I will kill you."

* * *

Ifrit (Ifrit Form) and CopyKat were in their armours and fighting the two Imagin that were obsessed with killing them. CopyKat was still holding one of the Elephant Imagin's maces in her right hand while she held one of her axes in the other hand she gripped the shafts tightly and savagely attacked, not giving him an opening to launch a counter-attack. She bashed the mace against his chest, causing the spikes to dig into the armour and hacked away with her axe, causing sparks to fly.

Ifrit himself was armed with dual-weapons. In his left hand was one of his Ifrit Dao and in his right hand was one of his Sub-Zero Shooters. When the Jackal Imagin came close, Ifrit would swing his blade. The Imagin would dodge and swipe at the Rider with his claws, sparks flew of Ifrit's chest but then he retaliated with his gun, firing shots at the Imagin and causing him to stagger back before charging at him and slashing him with the blade of his Chinese broad sword.

The Elephant Imagin staggered backwards as his head was thrown back violently by his own weapon being violently swung into his chin. One of his tusks had been chopped off and he was sporting cuts and bruises. Along with those there were cracks in his armour from the mace CopyKat was holding.

Adding insult to injury, CopyKat was fighting just like him. She'd copied his movements perfectly and even supplementing them with her own unique style and moves. The Elephant Imagin didn't even stand a chance. She intended to kill him for trying to kill her. Nobody made an attempt on her life and got away with it! When all this was over, she was going to go to Rose and beg for forgiveness...to hell with pride!

Ifrit was taking all his anger on the KLLA out on the Jackal Imagin, shooting and slashing at his enemy savagely, enjoying the pain he was inflicting. He imagined that the Imagin was the members of the KLLA. He wanted to send them to the hospital and this time for a really long time. How dare they say he wasn't good enough for Kotonoha? What were they doing when she was all alone, on the verge of breaking down? Where were they when she was crying her heart out over that bastard Makoto? At least he made an effort to be her friend, something they never did. The KLLA just disgusted him with their self righteous attitude.

She tossed her axe at the Elephant Imagin and it whizzed past his head. "Hah! You missed!" he taunted but then got the shock of his life when the axe spun back around like a boomerang then cut him in the shoulder. She caught it. Using the stunning attack to her advantage, she bashed the mace into his face and when he was on the ground started to bash in his face with the mace repeatedly. She banished her axe then picked him up by his trunk and spun around and around, taking the Elephant Imagin for a spin. With a toss she threw him into the air before leaping upwards. Once gaining altitude, she gripped the shaft of the mace in both hands and brought it down on the Imagin, causing him to plummet back to the ground. The resulting impact of the Imagin and the ground caused it to shake and make a crater. She then landed on the ground and tossed the mace aside before summoning her axes. It was time to finish this.

Several shots bombarded off the Jackal Imagin's body as Ifrit continued to fire on him. He then tossed his sword at the Imagin, impaling him against the concrete wall that surrounded the property. He was pinned to the wall and tried to pry off the sword but it was too late for that.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Ice cold blue energy travelled from his belt and into his gun. The barrel began to glow as he aimed at Jack. "Sayonara, teme," Ifrit said, "And welcome to the ice age!" He pulled the trigger and fired, unleashing a blast of frost energy that engulfed the Jackal Imagin.

The Elephant Imagin managed to pick himself up from the crater and glared at CopyKat who was twirling her axes. Grabbing both his maces, Elephant-Maru roared and charged at her. She then stopped twirling her axes and then charged right back.

**SLASH!**

**SLASH!**

Dust was kicked up as CopyKat skidded to a halt, facing back to back with the Imagin. She fell to her knees, her chestplate dented from the impact of his maces. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't escaped unscathed. A vertical line of light appeared on his body followed by a vertical one. With a trumpet of anguish, Elephant-Maru the Elephant Imagin exploded.

As for Jack the Jackal Imagin, he was literally frozen to the wall in ice. Ifrit walked over and then threw his fist, shattering the already brittle Imagin to pieces. He then pulled his sword out of the wall, grinning in satisfaction. "We're done here."

"Definitely," yawned CopyKat. "Now I'm bushed."

However, they had guessed wrong, as it was not over yet. Not by a long shot as the remains of the two Imagin began to move towards each other.

"Huh?" CopyKat stared. "What's going on?"

"Trouble," Ifrit narrowed his eyes as he held Loki's ticket. He then swiped it over his belt.

"**LOKI FORM!**"

The remains of the two Imagin had collected together and flown into the air before they combined, reshaping into a new form that grew into a giant monster. The two Imagin had fused to become one Gigandeath.

The Gigandeath that formed was immense, with a serpentine body covered in shining steel scales. Also, it had four wings. The first set resembled bat wings while the second set resembled bird wings. At the end of its tail was a scorpion's stinger. Instead of a single head, it had two snake heads, both with razor sharp teeth, horns atop their heads, and tusks at the sides of their mouths.

Everyone still present on school grounds all cowered in fear as thy saw the flying beast. Even Kotonoha was frightened but not as much as the KLLA who were on their knees, crying and praying. They were acting pathetic.

Kotonoha's ears then heard a familiar sound and smiled. Looking up, she saw train tracks forming and riding upon the tracks was the DynoLiner. "Gambatte, Ryuji-kun," she whispered.

Inside his cockpit and riding on the Machine Dyno-Breaker was none other than Ifrit in his red Loki Form armor. He gripped the handlebars and raced towards the flying Gigandeath.

Meanwhile, CopyKat herself was calling for reinforcements. At her silent request, a magical circle formed under her feet. Around the circle were magical runes and right in the centre was the tiger emblem that was on her belt. "Byakko no Gai!" she called, "I summon thee!" Instantly, in a flash of light, Bobby appeared before her.

"Took you long enough, Big Sis," snickered Robert 'Bobby' Clawson a.k.a. Byakko no Gai.

"Shut up and release your seal!" she ordered as she looked up to see the DynoLiner battling the four-winged-doubled-headed-serpent Gigandeath. "I want to have some fun!"

"Gotcha!" Bobby said as he took a stance and then he unleashed a roar that caused his white aura to flare out. "BYAKKO NO GAI! RELEASE!"

* * *

Up in the sky, the DynoLiner was battling against the Gigandeath, firing energy bolts from the Mammoth's tusks as the Trunk Cannon fired beams of frost. The Gigandeath showed great agility and was able to dodge all the attacks.

"**Kuso**," cursed Ifrit. "**Stay still so I can hit you!**"

'_Ryuji, calm down and focus_,' Loki instructed.

'_I am!_' Ryuji insisted as their shared body gripped the handlebars.

"**Tyrano and Tricera! Ikuze!**"

At Ifrit's command, the two bullet trains attached to the Mammoth unlinked before rushing at the Gigandeath along their own tracks. The Tricera fired lasers from its horns as the Tyrano fired a stream of flames from its mouth. Still, the Imagin was able to avoid from getting his and unleashed a devastating counter attack by firing a beam of blue energy from its right head and energy balls from its left head. The attacks collided with the three trains, nearly knocking Ifrit off his bike.

Suddenly, something flew through the air and clipped the Gigandeath in the side. Ifrit zoomed in and was surprised to see… "Tora?" (Tora means tiger)

Well, he was partly right. It was a tiger, a white tiger to be exact, and a huge one at that. It was completely robotic with white steel skin decorated with black stripes. Its claws were golden and its tail was tipped with an arrowhead. On its back was a pair of battle axes that looked familiar. Its green eyes bore down on the Gigandeath before it roared. The flying tiger roared and then zoomed through the air. The Gigandeath avoided by flying in a loop but the tiger grabbed it by the tail and held it there.

On Ifrit's viewing screen, CopyKat's face showed up, "_What are you waiting for? An invitation? Blast it now!_"

"**Nani? Kat?**" he questioned.

Inside the tiger was none other than CopyKat. Her cockpit was dramatically different from Ifrit's. It was a large and white space with a viewing screen in front of her allowing her to see through the tiger's eyes. Also, she was standing on a platform with the tiger symbol beneath her feet. "That's right! And let me introduce you to Byakko no Gai!" CopyKat boasted.

'_Sugoi_,' thought Loki.

"Now hurry up and blast this mother fucker!" shouted CopyKat.

"**OK!**" nodded Ifrit. "**Alright, here we go!**"

The bolts, laser blasts and fire struck the Gigandeath who screeched/roared in pain from both its heads. It then fired its attacks on Byakko no Gai, forcing the tiger Mecha to let go before it flew off.

'_It's heading for the city!_' Ryuji realised.

"**Oi, Kat, let's see who can catch it first!**" challenged Ifrit as his three trains linked up once more.

"You're on!" CopyKat accepted. "Ikuzo!"

* * *

Sakakino City had been through a lot over the years. The strange monster attacks seemed to be escalating but luckily for the citizens they had the protective of the Kamen Riders. This left many of them wondering where the hell the Kamen Riders were when this giant serpent started attacking.

The citizens scream in terror and ran in panic at the appearance of the beast as it started to attack, destroying buildings with its attacks. In its mind, all that mattered was destruction.

Suddenly, Byakko no Gai and the DynoLiner rammed into the Gigandeath, knocking it out of the air and onto the ground below. Byakko no Gai landed along with the DynoLiner as both Time Train and Saint Beast faced off against this abomination.

The Gigandeath screeched/roared and soared right at them. Byakko no Gai lunged and slashed it across its right face. The Gigandeath than coiled itself around Byakko no Gai, squeezing the white tiger tight and crushing it.

Due to their spiritual connection, CopyKat herself was feeling the pain of her robot. She felt herself being crushed.

Ifrit also couldn't risk attacking since that would harm Byakko no Gai and CopyKat. Even if he didn't like her all that much, he didn't want her dead. He cursed under his breath. He needed reinforcements.

The viewing screen then changed and Ifrit found himself looking at… "Ant?" he questioned. Actually, it was Ant in his Rider form, Kamen Rider Chronos. "What are you doing?"

"_Oh, Warren called and said you might need help. The others also want to say hi!_" Ant told him. The screen split and Ifrit smiled as he saw four more familiar faces.

"**You guys!**"

The ChronoLiner appeared out of its portal, riding on its tracks accompanied by its tune. The first four ChronoLiner train cars remained the same but linked to it and being pulled behind were four new train cars with different yet unique designs.

One was red with a 05 on the side, the next one was purple with a 06 on the side, the one behind that one was yellow with a 07 on the side and the last one was blue with a 08 on the side.

"The cavalry has arrived!" smirked Chronos while inside the cockpit of the ChronoLiner. He then said to the rest of his team. "Are you guys ready?"

In the red car was Draco and he was sitting in a chair facing a console while his hands gripped a steering wheel "Kamen Rider Draco and Fire-5 ready to go!"

In the purple car was Wraith, inside what resembled a helicopter's cockpit, "Skull Rider Wraith and Gyro-6 ready to fly!"

In the yellow car was Oni, in a cockpit similar to Draco's, "Kamen Rider Oni and Digger-7, ready to rock!"

In the blue car was Mortuary, in a submarine's cockpit, "Kamen Rider Mortuary and Submarine-8, ready to sink some monsters!"

"Alright!" Chronos commanded, "ChronoLiner Riders! Go!"

The 4 cars behind the ChronoLiner unlinked and then transformed. The red one known as Fire-5 transformed into a fire truck with a huge cannon equipped to it. The purple one dubbed Gyro-6 turned into a helicopter as the propeller blades spun and took it to the air. The yellow one called Digger-7 was equipped with a drill. Finally, the blue one named Submarine-8 turned into a futuristic flying submarine.

"Minna, the mission is to free Kat-neechan and subdue the monster!" said Draco.

"Ready when you are, captain," said Oni.

"Whatever you say, kid. I just want to try this baby out!" grinned Mortuary.

The Fire-5 rolled up and levelled its cannon, aiming before it fired, spraying white foam all over the Gigandeath's eyes, blinding and irritating it. Then, Digger-7 exploded from he ground, striking the Gigandeath's right chin with the drill, impaling it right through and killing half of it. This forced the Gigandeath to let go of Byakko no Gai who leapt out from the grasp of the Gigandeath.

"OK, bombs away!" shouted Wraith.

Up in the air, Gyro-6 and Submarine-8 fired their arsenal. The helicopter fired missiles as the sub fired torpedoes. They exploded on impact, causing great pain to the Gigandeath. The ChronoLiner wasn't idle and fired its weapons too.

"Ifrit, you're up!" commanded Chronos.

"**OK!**" shouted Ifrit. "**Kat, are you up for this?**"

"Do cannibals eat human flesh? Of course I am!" said CopyKat cheerfully. "Ikuzo!"

"**Let's do this thing!**" Ifrit called out as he activated the DynoLiner Mammoth's Trunk Cannon. He aimed at the Gigandeath who was being bombarded by attacks from the other train and support vehicles. "**Target locked on!**"

As for Byakko no Gai, it opened its mouth wide, allowing golden energy particles to collect at the front. Cracking her knuckle and calling forth her aura, CopyKat prepared to fire.

"Everyone!" Chronos commanded, "Get out of the way!"

The other Riders obeyed and piloted their vehicles away, giving both Ifrit and CopyKat a clear shot.

"**This is your final destination! FREEZE!**" shouted Ifrit. "**ICE AGE EXPRESS!**"

The Mammoth fired a white beam of energy which engulfed the Gigandeath, freezing it from the inside out. It wasn't going anywhere.

"Now my turn!" CopyKat called out her attack, "_TIGER'S ROAR!_"

CopyKat was the one to deal the finishing blow. Byakko no Gai roared before firing a golden beam of destructive power from its mouth. The beam collided and the Gigandeath shattered in a magnificent explosion.

* * *

Kat was later called to appear in the ChronoLiner. All she was told was that she would be meeting some people. She sat in the dining car, waiting, with a glass of cold milk that she'd ordered from Andie. The door slid open ad Kat's eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Rosie-chan," she breathed out.

"Hello, Kat," said Rose, her face neutral. She walked over to the booth and sat across from Kat. "We need to talk."

"I know," Kat realised. "But can I please say that I'm sorry for what I said to you."

"Apology accepted," Rose nodded. "Also, I would like to apologize for throwing you out of the house like that. I shouldn't have done that."

"I was out of line," Kat replied. "You had every right to kick me out."

Silence was exchanged between them for nearly a minute. It was agonizing and uncomfortable for the both of them. Rose finally spoke, "Cathy misses you, a lot."

"Only Cathy?" responded Kat. She was hoping that Rose missed her too.

"Yes, and so do I," admitted Rose. She missed kissing and holding Kat in her arms. She missed cuddling with her partner in bed after making love. She missed talking with her. But most of all she just missed having Kat there.

Kat reached over and took Rose's hand, "And I've missed you too."

From the door, Ryuki watched with a smile along with Cathy. "Can I go now?" asked Cathy.

"Just wait a little longer," he told his niece. "A little bit longer." Both Kat and Rose exchanged a few tender words before sharing a kiss. Ryuki smiled, "OK, now"

"Mama!" Cathy cheered as she ran into the dining car. It was a happy family reunion.

* * *

Kenzaki sat alone in the control room of the GaroLiner. He was here for two reasons; one was to run a basic systems check on the GaroLiner, and two, to clear his head of everything that was happening with Neko. The girl had become extremely embarrassed whenever she was around her fellow Rider. Also, whenever she was asleep with him nearby, she would say weird things, normally involving the two of them having sex. Needless to say, this confused the Wolf Rider, who was used to her saying very little about the subject, and getting mad whenever he brought it up. "Run basic security check on all cars," ordered Kenzaki as he initiated the scan.

"_A new and high-threat target approaching,_" spoke the cold mechanical voice. The door that led into the control room slid open. Kenzaki turned to face the arrival, but shot out of his chair in shock. Standing at the door was none other than Neko. Her hair was undone and she was wearing very little. She only had on her white panties, white bra and a green pajama top. She had a tired look on her face. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Following this, she looked at Kenzaki and smiled.

"Ah! Ken-kun!" Neko shouted happily, yet she still sounded half asleep.

"N-Neko!?" stuttered Kenzaki.

Neko then ran up to her boyfriend, hugging him tightly. "Ken-kun!"

"N-Neko! What are you doing!?" he shouted.

"Doing? Oh, who cares?" she said, rubbing her head into his chest.

"_The situation is disadvantageous,_" spoke the computer.

"Urusai!" shouted Kenzaki.

"Please call me Neko-chan like before…This is like being in a dream, and I want to have fun with you too." She squeezed him tighter as she continued to rub her head on his chest.

"Dream? Neko, I don't really understand."

"_Damage to the chest,_" said the computer, not helping the situation.

"You shut up!" growled Kenzaki.

"Geez, Ken-kun you meanie…What should I do to make you call me Neko-chan?" She began tracing circles on his chest.

"_The situation is dangerous,_" the computer spoke once more.

"I would do anything for you," said Neko.

"Anything?" Kenzaki repeated, as several less than wholesome images came to mind before shaking his head. "Neko, are you okay?"

Neko looked up at him and then at her surroundings. Her eyes then slowly went wide when she realized what was going on.

"Eyah!" she creamed as she jumped back. "K-Ken-kun!? What's going on!?" She then looked down at her state of undress and screamed, pulling her top closed. She backed away at him but tripped and fell backwards. Kenzaki looked and wanted to help but turned away because he could see her panties.

"Neko, are you okay?" he asked, still not making eye contact.

"I'm good! I'm okay!" she backed away to the exit. "Gomen nasai! Sorry for disturbing you!" She then got out of there. "Bye!"

"What was all that about?" asked Kenzaki.

"_Enemy has retreated. You're losing a chance to pursue,_" said the computer.

"Shut up!"

* * *

The next day when Kat entered her classroom, she was met with stares from her classmates. She just ignored them the entire time and went to her seat. As she placed her book bag down, she felt a hand to her. She looked over to see Nanami. "Oh, hey, Nanami. Ohayo."

"Kat, what happened yesterday?" Nanami asked with concern in her voice.

"Oh, you mean after that monsters chased after me?" Kat asked.

"And also how you just fought it before we helped," said Nanami, referring to when Kat punched at the monster like a boxer before the basketball players threw balls at the Elephant Imagin. "That was brave and foolish," Nanami frowned.

"Hey, I'm okay and you're okay," said Kat nonchalantly. "So there's no problem."

"Still, you could've gotten hurt and I don't want one of my friends getting herself killed by playing hero."

'_Oh, you have no idea_,' thought Kat. "Fine, I promise not to anything stupid like that again."

Nanami gave Kat a hard look before smiling. "That's good."

Kat saw a silver haired girl enter her class and smiled. "Rosie-chan! Over here!"

"Oh, Kat!" Rose waved.

"Who's that?" Nanami asked as Rose climbed up the steps to where Kat's seat was.

"My girlfriend," said Kat bluntly.

Nanami could only stare in disbelief.

* * *

Cathy smiled as she sat down next to Bobby. She'd enrolled at Kat's request. Even Rose had enrolled as a student n Kat's class. Unlike her parents, she hadn't de-aged.

The three girls decided to stay for a little bit in this world, using Ryuji's old apartment resulting in Vash getting kicked out. Vash was being forced to stay on the ChronoLiner.

* * *

When Ryuji and Kotonoha showed up to school, the couple could see the KLLA assembled in front of them at the gate. "These idiots again," growled Ryuji in irritation. He stood in front of Kotonoha, acting as a shield, and said, "If you guys want another fight then-" However, he was unable to finish his sentence when the KLLA all kneeled down and then bowed their heads in shame.

"WE'RE SORRY!" they all cried at once.

"Huh?" Ryuji blinked in confusion. He'd been ready for a fight but this just threw him completely off balance.

"We had no idea of your circumstances!" the spokesman and leader of the KLLA called out. "We thought you made Kotonoha your girlfriend by force!"

"NANI?!" Ryuji roared. "You think I would hurt Koto-chan?! I would never make her do anything she didn't want to do!"

"Well, you never really seemed to be her type," one of the KLLA members commented.

"Urusei!" Ryuji snapped. "You don't know anything!"

"WE'RE SORRY!" the all cried again. "WE DIDN'T KNOW!"

Kotonoha smiled. Apparently her rant and lecture yesterday had opened their eyes and made them realise the error of their ways. Also, using the dozuki really helped her send her point across.

"Okay, okay," Ryuji huffed. "You didn't know. Now can we just go to school?"

"Just one last thing," the spokesman spoke. "We're still going to test if you really are the best boyfriend available for Kotonoha-chan!"

"Eh?" Ryuji blinked. "Nani?"

The spokesman and leader then stood up, taking out his bullhorn before pointing at Ryuji, "PREPARE YOURSELF RYUJI HASUMA! FOR WE THE KOTONOHA LOVE-LOVE ASSOCIATION SHALL CONTINUOUSLY AND RANDOMLY TEST YOUR WORTHINESS AND PERFORMANCE AS KOTONOHA KATSURA'S BOYFRIEND!"

"Oh, for crying out loud," groaned Ryuji as he palmed his face. Kotonoha could only give a sympathetic smile. This wasn't what she had in mind.

* * *

Setsuna was a girl who believed in logic. If something happened, then there was a cause for it rather than it 'just happened' for no discernable reason. The biggest challenge to her logic was the appearance of these Kamen Riders and the monsters they were fighting.

Setsuna hadn't put much credit to these monsters and heroes, seeing them as urban myths or something a movie company cooked up. Seeing them in magazines sure gave her doubts, but she wanted proof for herself.

That was when she saw Ryuji and Kat transform into Kamen Riders behind the gym.

Setsuna had been concerned for Kat when she saw that elephant monster chasing her. So she followed to see if there was anything that she could do to help. Of course, that was when she spotted Ryuji being chased by another monster. From there, she witnessed them both change.

"It seems," she sighed as she waited for her train, "That the mystery was much closer to home than I thought."

* * *

**ZK Chromedragozoid:** Setsuna knows!? Uh oh. What will happen next? Well, can she keep a secret? Also, this chap debuts some new vehicles. Let me tell you about them.

**The ChronoLiner Rescue Cars **are 4 transformable train cars that change into what could be referred to as rescue vehicles. The ChronoLiner Riders pilot these vehicles.

**Fire-5 **is a train car that transforms into a fire truck. It has an extendable ladder and a cannon that can shoot water or foam in order to put out flames. Draco is the pilot of this vehicle.

**Gyro-6** is a train car that transforms into a helicopter. It shoots missiles to subdue monsters and its rotor blades can also slice and dice at enemy monsters. Wraith was chosen to pilot it due to his expertise.

**Digger-7** is a train car that uses a huge drill to dig underground or as a weapon to attack with. Oni is its pilot

**Submarine-8** transforms into submarine that is also capable for flight, enabling it to be used for undersea and aerial combat. It is armed with powerful and destructive torpedoes. It is piloted by Mortuary

* * *

**The ChronoLiner Riders** are a group of heroes known as Kamen Riders who protect the Multiverse. They are mostly based in the ChronoLiner which is also the vehicle that takes them other worlds. Originally, they didn't have a name but then Ryuki suggested what to call themselves when they went after Copycat who had awakened as the Living Gate.

ChronoLiner Riders Membership

**Antonitis Fenton McCrown/Kamen Rider Chronos**

Bio: Commonly known as Ant, he is the owner of the ChronoLiner and former Dragon Force agent. The ChronoLiner acts as his base which he uses to continue his mission to protect the Multiverse. He is good friends with Ichijyo even if Ant sometimes annoys him. He has a Rider form but rarely fights. He also has the ability to summon warriors from other dimensions and possesses a wide array of different powers and abilities. He is the primary pilot of the ChronoLiner and rumoured to be one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse.

**Ryuki Hasuma/Kamen Rider Draco**

Bio: A founding member of the ChronoLiner Riders, Ryuki possesses powerful psychic abilities, martial arts talent and the ability to control fire. He, along with Ant, Craig and Ryan started the ChronoLiner Riders to chase after Copycat who awakened as the Living Gate. Ryuki is also a Keyblade Master and uses the weapon to destroy Horrors. He possesses two distinct Rider form. He is the alternate pilot of the ChronoLiner. His partner is Yaminekoryu who becomes solid inside the ChronoLiner.

**Ryan Kazama/Kamen Rider Oni**

Bio: Another founding member of the ChronoLiner Riders, Ryan is a Vizard (a hybrid of a Shinigami and Hollow). He was once a normal resident of Soul Society until a Hollow possessed him but he was able to suppress the Hollow. He was later taken in and trained by the Vizard before he left and met with the Kamen Riders, training under them. He then becomes Kamen Rider Oni and possesses several different Zanpakuto that represent different aspects of his soul. His Zanpakuto usually assumes the form of musical instruments that can be used as weapons. He is a musician.

**Craig Smith/Kamen Rider Mortuary**

Bio: Another founding member of the ChronoLiner Riders and monster hunter with an immense hatred for Orphenochs but ironically befriended Ryuki who was also an Orphenoch. Mortuary possesses necroplasmic abilities. He then becomes the vessel of the Orphenoch King and seemingly died only to have been rescued by Warren to recover. He can assume a lighter version of his Orphenoch King form or even the full Orphenoch form at will. Also, he is the leader of the Red Wolves in which Terra was also a member of.

**Warren Smith/Kamen Rider Wraith**

Bio: He is also known as "Skull Rider Wraith" due to his skull-like helmet. Warren possesses immense dark power but uses them for good. Unlike Ryan, Craig and Draco he hails from an alternate timeline. He was recruited to join the Riders to battle Copycat and her Horrors, making numerous appearance soon after. Warren often acts as leader of the group when Ryuki is unavailable. Also, he has a cheerful attitude that hides a dark past. He seems to have a close relationship with Ryuji who he affectionately calls 'kohai'. Vash and Teresa are his partners. He may also be one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse due to his superb control over magic.

**Ryuji Hasuma/Kamen Rider Ifrit**

Bio: Formerly Ryuki's Yin half, Ryuji is now his own person and permanently separated from Ryuki. He is Ryuki's polar opposite. The separation also allowed him use of the Orphenoch form and ice powers. He does not possess psychic abilities at all but he does seem to know when danger is nearby. He possesses all of Ryuki's skills and memories up until their separation. Ryuji has a violent temperament but he does have a rarely seen softer side. He chose to stay in a different world but can still summon the ChronoLiner to aid him in battle. Additionally, he has an Imagin partner named Loki who acts like a father figure and servant. Now he is the owner and pilot of the DynoLiner.

**Andie**

Bio: A gynoid who is the waitress and maid of the ChronoLiner. She is always cheerful and happy to serve the crew. She has incredible cooking skills. Nothing gets her down and not even the weirdness of the crew affects her. She is loyal to them. She has not shown any combat capabilities but she is hinted to have a "Battle Mode" that can be activated for emergencies.


	14. Vengeance of the Hasuma Siblings

Nanami had to admit that things were getting pretty wild since the Hasuma siblings came to her school. Of course, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She had gotten to know each of them and found each of the quadruplets pretty unique in terms of their personalities.

Ryuji Hasuma was a punk in every sense of the word. He had a sour temper and he was a tough guy. He beat up people for what appeared to be small slights against him. Then again, he was head over heels in love with Kotonoha. It was as plain as day for anyone who took the time to get to know him. Ryuji was also capable of being a very nice person when you didn't try to hurt him or anyone he cared about.

Neko Hasuma fit in very well in school. She was bubbly and kind, but also serious when the situation called for it. She and her boyfriend Kenzaki got along with everyone and were some of the people Ryuji actually got along with. Neko knew her brother better than anyone save for Kotonoha. Neko also knew how to have real fun whenever the opportunity called for it.

Kat Hasuma was just plain wild. The girl didn't seem to care what anyone would think of her. That much was revealed when she confessed to being a lesbian in front of the class on her first day, flirting with the girls and threatening the boys. That fact was driven home when Nanami accidentally walked in on Kat and her girlfriend furiously making out inside a locker room one day. Apparently they had a fight and were making up for lost time. The elder female sibling was good at sports and was a real help to the basketball team.

She remembered Ryuki Hasuma from when he used to go to their school. He was the polar opposite of Ryuji. The guy had a following of starry-eyed girls who were hoping to become his girlfriend. She heard that he had a girlfriend so it made sense why he didn't go for them. Add in the Hasuma tradition of never giving up on a relationship and Nanami found herself wondering if her own boyfriend could take lessons from the boys.

* * *

**"VENGEANCE OF THE HASUMA SIBLINGS"**

* * *

Hikari sighed softly as she watched the three Hasuma siblings and their significant others heading away from school. Kat and Rose were snuggled tightly together with Bobby and Cathy following behind. Kenzaki and Neko were walking side-by-side, but Neko seemed really shy about something, and Kenzaki just seemed confused. Kotonoha was practically glued to Ryuji's side.

Hikari couldn't help but feel envious of them. They were so lucky to be in such serious and wonderful relationships. She wouldn't be surprised if one of them would pop the question sooner or later.

"I wish I could have someone like them," Hikaru huffed sadly. She used to have a crush on Taisuke but after finding out what he'd tried to do to Kotonoha, she found whatever feelings she had for him were fading. If he had noticed how much she liked him sooner than maybe they'd have a chance but sadly he'd been obsessed with Kotonoha. Hikari was also partly to blame for being unable to tell Taisuke how she felt.

She didn't notice the yellow orb hovering outside the window just above her.

* * *

"So, how's the KLLA been behaving?" asked Kat curiously as they all waited for the train at the station.

Ryuji just frowned in annoyance, "Damn idiots won't leave me alone."

"These are the same guys that tried to get between you and Kotonoha, right?" Kenzaki asked. Ryuji nodded. "They need a life."

"Yeah, they do, but now instead of trying to break Koto-chan and I apart they decide to test me to make sure I'm the perfect boyfriend," Ryuji grumbled. Those 'tests' had been ridiculous.

"I heard your girl threatened the leader with a dozuki," Kenzaki said with a grin.

Ryuji smiled, "That's right." He wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist and pulled her closer. "And I could not be any prouder."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun," smiled Kotonoha as she closed her eyes.

"She's definitely a keeper," quipped Kat.

Neko and Kenzaki had returned a few days ago after reaching a dead end on their investigations regarding Nanimo's whereabouts. He was being quiet but they knew he was responsible for some of the recent Imagin attacks, sending them to find contractors who had something against the Riders. The two that had tried to kill Ryuji and Kat last time were proof of that. None of them really believed in coincidences when it came to dealing with these monsters.

Neko was also quiet. She and Kenzaki had been having some really awkward encounters. She hadn't told him about the vivid dreams she'd been having and her behaviour just flat out confused him. She did love him and she never stopped loving him, but these dreams were really messing with her and she didn't know what to do. She needed advice.

So far, the only advice she'd been getting was from Gekiryuken. He was helpful but only to a certain extent. He was still male so he couldn't quite grasp the problem she was having.

The wielder of the Gekiryuken Keyblade cast a glance at Kat, Rose and Kotonoha. They were her closest female friends so maybe she could talk to them about this. Maybe she could arrange for them to have a talk later.

"Kat-neechan, can I talk to you later at your place?" Neko requested. Kat was busy talking with Rose when Neko said this.

"Sure, why not?" Kat shrugged.

Kenzaki spoke, "Neko…?"

"I just want to talk with my sister, Ken-kun," Neko said, blushing a little. "That's OK, right?"

Personally, Kenzaki didn't trust or like Kat (the feeling was mutual) but he did trust his girlfriend so he would allow this. "Alright, fine," he sighed.

"Kotonoha-chan," invited Neko, "Want to come over too?"

"Sure, I don't mind," smiled Kotonoha.

Neko smiled. She would need all the advice she could get. She never actually thought it'd be awkward actually asking for relationship advice from her man-hating sister, her ex-girlfriend, and her brother's girlfriend.

* * *

Back at school, Warren and Rachel were busy marking their students' homework. Rachel frowned a little at the atrocious grammar and the horrible handwriting some of her students had. At least she had a few good students like Kotonoha Katsura and, surprisingly, Ryuji Hasuma.

Back when she thought she'd lost her Warren, she was wondering what'd happened to him. When he finally came back to her she was so happy and wouldn't let him go. Warren then told her about his adventures in the Multiverse which included meeting and being a member of the ChronoLiner Riders.

"So, Rae," said Warren as he picked up his bag. "Ready to go home?"

"Just a bit," said Rachel as she finished up. "OK, there." She stood up and picked up her own bag as well. "Let's go."

"How does it feel being a teacher?" asked Warren as he and his wife exited the staff room together.

"It's different," she admitted, "Never thought it'd be as an English teacher but it feels nice."

"Never thought of being a wife and mother either," Warren quipped, earning a smile from her.

Her smile turned into a frown, "Though, I could do without some of the boys staring at my chest and ass."

Warren laughed. He couldn't really blame the boys for finding his wife attractive. She was the 'hot teacher' at school so they couldn't help it. She was also exotic with her peculiar hair color, which was natural, and her paler than normal skin tone.

"Come on, let's go out for dinner," said Warren, "My treat."

At the apartment they were both staying at was Vash. He'd been kicked out of Ryuji's apartment by Kat after she and her girls had decided to use it as living space for themselves. He'd bee living on the ChronoLiner for a good while until Warren invited him to stay at their place, only if he promised to behave, which he surprisingly did. Besides, the kids loved their Uncle Vash.

* * *

Kat, Neko, Rose, Cathy and Kotonoha were at the apartment where Kat and her family had taken up residence, after kicking out an annoying male (Vash). They all sat in the living room. Rose had made some tea and served some of Loki's cookies on a plate.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Kat asked Neko. "And don't deny that you want to talk about something bothering you. I know you."

Neko sighed, "Alright, it all started when…"

* * *

Both Ryuji and Kenzaki were at an arcade, playing Guitar Hero, while exchanging some words between them. Bobby had gone off to play something else.

"Have you noticed that Neko's been acting strange lately?" asked Kenzaki.

"Not really," confessed Ryuji. For him, Neko just seemed like her usual self. "Why? Is she acting strange?"

"It's like she's trying to avoid me sometimes," said Kenzaki. "And when we talk she won't look me in the eye."

"Sounds like trouble in paradise," joked Ryuji.

"That's not funny," frowned Kenzaki.

"So, you really don't know what's wrong?"

"No, and when I try to ask she just says she's fine."

"I've learnt a long time ago that when a girl says she's fine, she really isn't."

"So, do you know what's wrong with her?" asked Kenzaki.

"I'm not psychic," Ryuji remarked. "How the Hell should I know?"

* * *

"So you've been having wet dreams about Kenzaki, huh?" Kat snickered as she and Rose leaned with each other on the couch. Cathy was sipping milk while Kotonoha was having some cookies. Neko was blushing furiously.

"Yes," Neko squeaked.

"Well, I suppose we were too busy being evil to get the 'Talk' from mama," Kat sighed. "Well, first of all you should know that it isn't bad or evil or anything like that. It's perfectly normal for girls our age to have those kinds of dreams."

"I'm not that immature," Neko huffed.

"Coulda fooled me," Kat snickered. "Seriously though, have you ever jumped Kenzaki's bones in real life?"

"NO!" Neko cried. "We get kind of…heated, but that's it!"

"Well, I'm a mix between happy and sad about that," Kat sighed. "You know how I feel about him."

"We all do," Rose sighed into Kat's shoulder. Kat and Kenzaki could never got along. Kat didn't like how Kenzaki had tried to kill Neko and well Kat just reminded him of Sauron.

"Well it's deserved," Kat huffed. "Seriously, Neko-chan, you can do so much better! I may not desire guys, but at least I know a good one when I see one. I know at least a dozen that are better than Kenzaki."

"Well, it really is her choice, Kat-san," Kotonoha commented. "The least we can do is offer her advice when she needs it."

"Kotonoha is right," Rose nodded. "You can rag about him later."

"Yeah, yeah," Kat mumbled. She then looked to her sister and spoke up. "Okay, what you need to know is that those dreams are basically a reflection of your desires. Your body is reacting to that."

"Right," Rose nodded. "So logically, to get them to go away, you have to do something to release the tension."

"Did you have dreams like that, Nee-chan?" asked Neko.

"Nah," Kat smirked before she nuzzled Rose. "I was busy acting them out with Rosie-chan before they got a chance to come up!"

* * *

Ryuji, Kenzaki and Bobby were walking along the shopping district. After talking with Ryuji about what was wrong with Neko, he thought of the most possible conclusion.

"She's on her period," said Kenzaki. "It makes sense."

"Baka," snorted Ryuji. "If a girl's mood swings are all because of PMS then life would be easier for men. We wouldn't need to work so hard to figure them out."

"OK," sighed Kenzaki. "So, what do I do?"

"Talk to her and make sure she doesn't find a way to escape to listen to you long enough," said Ryuji, remembering when he had to explain to Kotonoha about why he'd befriended her in the first place. He held her in place and forced her to listen to him. He wouldn't have hurt her, but he wouldn't let go until she listened to the whole story.

"OK," agreed Kenzaki. "Hey, Bobby, what do you think?"

"I don't have that much experience with women," stated Bobby.

"Yeah, he's still learning," snickered Ryuji. "Cathy's his teacher."

Bobby's cheeks flushed, "Shut up!" he snapped.

"Hey, don't get mad at me. You were the one making out with her," teased Ryuji.

"Don't make me rip out your innards!" threatened Bobby. Ryuji just laughed at the seemingly empty threat.

"Wait, you and Cathy?" Kenzaki blinked.

Bobby looked to the ground, hands in his pockets. "I like her. I REALLY like her, OK?" confessed Bobby. "Maybe I even, you know, love her."

"Does Kat know?" asked Kenzaki.

"If Big Sis does, she's good at hiding it," said Bobby. He did fear what would happen if Kat ever found out about his relationship with Cathy. "But I can't help it."

"Love is pretty wacky that way," said Ryuji. "We don't know when it'll hit us but when it does it hits us hard."

"Like when you had to catch Kotonoha when she was falling?" Kenzaki stated. Kenzaki had been told about how Ryuji had saved her life from a suicide attempt. Well, Vash had a hand in it.

"Exactly like that," nodded Ryuji. "Say, I'm getting hungry. Wanna go grab some grub?"

* * *

Hikari was at home, lying in her bed and sighing. She cursed silently, "Damn it…" Why did everyone else she knew could find love and not her? At first she thought she could get Taisuke as a boyfriend but since his attention had been on Kotonoha, that didn't look like it would be happening. Added with what he'd tried to do, that just made him all the less desirable now.

Hikari never told anyone, but she did like Makoto. He was nice. Sadly, he was with Sekai. Ryuji was also good boyfriend material from what she witnessed**;** unfortunately, he too was taken and completely faithful to Kotonoha to an extreme level.

The glowing yellow orb from earlier was floating above her, having followed her from school. It could sense her despair. Oh, she was just perfect. The orb then darted straight into her body. The girl gasped and arched her back as sand spilt from her clothes and onto the floor. When she witnessed this, she suddenly sat up and backed away from the figure rising from the floor with its lower body and legs dangling above it.

"Tell me your wish and I shall grant it for you," the Imagin said with a sick and twisted smile.

* * *

Neko blushed furiously as Kat went on about ways for her to relieve her tension. She blushed ever further when her sister offered to let her borrow some of her 'toys'.

"Is…is all that necessary?" Neko stammered.

"Can't hurt," Kat grinned. "Rosie-chan and I don't complain."

"Not in front of guests!" Rose snapped as she swatted Kat's shoulder.

"Mama and mom make a lot of noise when they get new toys," Cathy smiled. "They sound like they have fun." Cathy had grown used to her parents' decadent ways.

"You bet we do," Kat grinned. "But I'm sure you and Bobby have an idea about that."

"Eeep!" Cathy blushed. "MAMA!"

"You were kind of obvious," Rose smiled. "Just make sure you keep your clothes on and we won't complain."

"You know, I would have thought you would be upset about Bobby being with Cathy," Neko commented suspiciously.

"Normally I'd be giving boys the third degree," Kat nodded. "But, if I can trust Bobby with my life, I think I can trust him with my baby."

"I'm not a baby anymore, mama!" Cathy pouted.

Kotonoha listened silently. She had never exactly indulged herself like that until after her and her boyfriend's first time. Sometimes when she was alone she would strip herself naked, close her eyes and touch herself. It felt really good when she imagined it was Ryuji touching her.

Kotonoha should've expected that Kat wouldn't be too shy about talking about this kind of thing. Like her boyfriend, Kat was the embodiment of the Yin half of Kat and Neko's old shared body. Kat just didn't have any inhibitions, it seemed.

"Kotonoha-chan, anything you can say?" asked Neko. She wanted an opinion from someone outside her crazy family.

"Well, not exactly," the girl shrugged. "All I can say is that you should get this over with soon. If you don't you may cause harm to your relationship."

* * *

"Hey, I'm surprised to see you here, kohai," said Warren as he saw Ryuji, Kenzaki and Bobby enter the restaurant.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Ryuji sighed.

"Lost count," Warren shrugged as he popped a piece of food into his daughter's mouth. She liked playing that game at dinner sometimes. He was with his family, enjoying dinner. Vash and Teresa were also included. "Need help with something?"

"Kenzaki-nii needs some," Bobby commented. "He and Neko-nee are having relationship problems."

"And since I'm the one in an actual mature relationship, you came to me?" Warren asked with a grin.

"Pretty much," nodded Ryuji. He may not show it much but he respected Warren's opinion. It was because of him that he had a relationship with Kotonoha and the Wraith had also helped quell some of his doubts.

"…Yeah," Kenzaki groaned. If anybody could help him it would be a man married with children and with an open marriage that allowed him to have a girlfriend along with a wife.

"I thought we came here for food," Bobby frowned slightly. He didn't have any relationship problems, currently.

"Never turn down the chance for some free advice," Ryuji commented. "Now shut it. You might learn something."

"OK, but if we're going to be here let's order something to eat. I'm starving," said Bobby.

* * *

During the entire talk, Gekiryuken had remained silent. This was after all a conversation between women so he had no place in it unless Neko wanted his consultation.

"Ano, Geki-chan, can you give me some advice based on a male perspective?" she asked.

Damn, so much for his wish to remain silent. He then said, "Ojou-sama, I shall give you my honest opinion. If you both love each other than the issue of sex shouldn't be a problem. You need to face this. After all, you do wish to marry him, right?"

Neko did want to settle down with Kenzaki and raise a family, but she just didn't feel that she was ready for that step yet. She wanted it to at least be special. "Yes, I do," she confessed, blushing. Maybe it was time she and Kenzaki sat down and talked this out. It was either that or using 'toys' like Kat had suggested that could help relieve her. The list of things she'd been given was…it was a colorful one to say the least.

* * *

A strange four armed figure was stalking the streets with its red eyes glowing menacingly. It knew what its contract holder wanted and so the Imagin went to find its targets. This would be easy with its abilities.

* * *

"I'm sorry," bowed Kotonoha as she stood outside the apartment. "But it's late and I need to get home soon."

"Well, it was good having you here," said Kat.

"Come back soon!" said Cathy cheerfully.

Kotonoha nodded and walked away.

As she made her way to the train station, Kotonoha could feel that something was…stalking her. She made sure she had her dozuki and things got really bad she could summon Athena to her aid.

When she heard footsteps she spun around and drew out her dozuki. She blinked in confusion when she saw nothing. "Huh?"

Suddenly, something struck her in the back and she just blacked out instantly.

* * *

After finishing his dinner and getting some useful advice from Warren, Kenzaki left the restaurant. He took out his phone and dialed her number.

"OK, it's time she and I talked about this," muttered Kenzaki. He placed the phone to his ear and listened to the phone on the other end that was ringing.

The Hunter should've been paying attention because as soon as Neko picked up on the other end his phone dropped to the ground as Kenzaki was being dragged away.

From his phone that was on the ground, Neko's voice could be heard, "_Ken-kun? Hello? Hello? Ken-kun, are you there?_"

* * *

Rose was out getting groceries for the house since Vash had eaten most of the good things and at the get-together they had had finished the rest of them off. They needed to get more food and they needed it immediately. Otherwise, none of them would be able to get lunch for school. Besides, Cathy and Kat loved their snacks.

"Halt!" a voice spoke up.

Blinking, Rose turned to see who was talking to her. Her eyes widened when she saw who…or what, it was. In this case, it was a tall humanoid wearing black and red clothing. The shoulders were puffy and the four suit symbols were placed on its chest. A gold cape hung from its shoulders and it had a gold beard and mustache hiding most of the black face. The red eyes were unmistakable. Another unmistakable feature was that this being had four arms.

"You will come with me," the King Imagin spoke.

"Like hell I will!" Rose hissed.

"I see," The King Imagin nodded. "Regrettable."

Flicking his wrist, Rose suddenly felt something hit her chest. Looking down, she spotted a regular playing card, the King of Spades, sticking to her chest.

"Huh?" Rose blinked before she suddenly blacked out.

* * *

"Hello? Ken-kun? Hello?" Neko continued to speak into her phone. "Why isn't he answering?"

"Maybe his batteries ran out," said Kat as she looked out the window.

"They aren't," replied Neko. "It's still on. Something must've happened."

Kat frowned. She'd sent Cathy to bed early because her daughter was tired. "She should be back by now," muttered Kat. The grocery store wasn't too far away. If Rose was running late she would've called. Suddenly, Kat's cell phone rang and she took it out of her pocket, hoping it would be Rose. Seeing Ryuji's name on it made her frown in frustration but she still answered it. "Kat's speaking."

"_Kat, something happened to Koto-chan_," said Ryuji worriedly. Ryuji would only ever call her if there was an emergency. This had to be important.

"Alright, come and get here," said Kat.

* * *

Ryuji showed up at the apartment, a cold sweat covering his face. Bobby was with him too. "What happened to you?" asked Kat as Ryuji brushed past her with Bobby behind her. "Hey!"

Ryuji sat down and saw Neko staring at her phone. He frowned. Somehow he could tell something had happened to Kenzaki too. The same thing that'd happened to Kotonoha if his guest was right.

"So, what's going on?" asked Kat.

"Athena called me earlier," said Ryuji. "She said she couldn't sense Koto-chan." When that happened, Ryuji knew something was wrong. Long ago the same thing had happened to him. "I tried to call Koto-chan's phone and nobody answered." His eyes were screwed shut. He didn't want to think his girlfriend was in any danger but right now he wasn't sure what was going on.

Fear gripped Kat's heart and she dialed Rose's number. She placed it against her ear and after an entire minute of ringing, there was no answer. The former Cat Knight gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Something had happened to Rose too. "Damn it," she cursed.

"What?" Neko asked.

"Looks like someone kidnapped Rose, Kotonoha and Kenzaki," concluded Kat. That was the only logical explanation. She went for the door. "We gotta find them!"

Ryuji and Neko both agreed and took off after her, leaving Bobby in the apartment alone.

* * *

Rose was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. She was still unconscious and tied up in steel cable to make sure she wouldn't escape. As soon as she hit the floor, she started coming to. Opening her eyes, she could see Kenzaki and Kotonoha, in the same state as she was. "Kotonoha! Kenzaki!" she gasped.

"You too, huh?" remarked Kenzaki.

"What's going on!?" shouted Kotonoha.

The King Imagin walked out of the shadows, causing Kenzaki to narrow his eyes. He attempted to call upon his Imagin but couldn't get a connection. '_Something must be messing with the connection_,' thought Kenzaki.

The King Imagin squatted down, petting Rose's head. She tried to move her head away but to no avail. "Now, you three should sit quietly and wait till I get my contract holder and then I'll be out of your hair. Be good now!" With a laugh the King Imagin leapt away.

"Should've known it was an Imagin that got the drop on us," growled Kenzaki, struggling against his bindings.

"It's no use," sighed Rose. "I've tried to cut through it too but these cables are tough."

"So, what do you suggest?" Kenzaki questioned. Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Wait to be rescued."

"Damn, now I'm the damsel in distress," huffed Kenzaki.

Kotonoha didn't have anything to fear. She had faith that Ryuji would come rescue her.

* * *

At the park after parking their bikes, Neko, Kat and Ryuji all knelt down around a map.

"OK, so far we haven't found them," said Neko.

"That was obvious," said Kat cynically. Her tone wasn't one Ryuji wanted to hear.

"Now's not the time, Kat," he told her.

"Excuse me, but I can't be cheerful when my girlfriend is in danger," said Kat seriously.

"Sarcastic remarks won't help either," Ryuji shot back.

"Stop fighting," urged Neko as she took off Gekiryuken and then lay the medallion down on the map of the city. "They must've taken them to the same place so right now all we need to do is put our hands on Gekiryuken so he can help find where they are.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Ryuji doubtfully.

"It has helped find some bounties in the past," nodded Neko, placing her hand atop Gekiryuken.

"Whatever helps!" exclaimed Kat, placing her hand on Neko's. "Don't be shy, Ifrit!"

Rolling his eyes, Ryuji placed his hand atop hers. He would do anything to make sure his girlfriend was safe.

"OK, Geki-chan, do your thing," said Neko, "And you two. I want you two to focus your thoughts on the ones you want to find." Neko closed her eyes and Kat and Ryuji followed her example. They glowed and then so did Gekiryuken. He started to move around the map with their hands on top of him before he stopped at the location.

"There!" announced Gekiryuken. The three siblings opened their eyes and looked down at the map.

"OK!" Ryuji said as he stood up and ran to his bike. He pulled on his helmet and revved the engine before kicking off the stand. "Ikuze!"

"Hey, wait for me!" shouted Kat as she watched Ryuji race off. "Hey!" She soon dashed after him.

"Matte!" shouted Neko as she tidied up the map, put Gekiryuken back on, before getting on her own bike, putting on the helmet and driving after them. "Oi! Chotto matte! Ryuji-chan! Kat-neechan!"

* * *

The King Imagin returned with Hikari held in one of his arms. She was kicking and screaming bloody murder at the Imagin. Once it was back with its three captives, it dumped her on the ground.

"Ow!" Hikari moaned as she got up. Her eyes landed on the captives as she did so. "Huh? Kotonoha? Kenzaki? Rose?"

"Your wish," the King Imagin spoke as he gestured to the three.

"What?" Hikari gaped. She immediately rounded on the Imagin. "I didn't wish for this!"

"Your wish was and I quote: 'I wish I had people to love me just like them'," the King Imagin quoted. "And here you go. I delivered on my end. Now it is your turn."

Hikari cowered in and trembled as the Imagin came close. It then tapped her forehead and split her open, revealing the swirling green portal, "Ah, how lovely."

Suddenly, a trio of bikes crashed right through the warehouse's steel door. The three vehicles skidded to a halt, their tires screeching against the ground.

"Chotto matte, Imagin-teme!" the trio shouted together.

Kat, Neko and Ryuji had arrived where their significant others had been kidnapped. Using simple ki manipulation, a map and Gekiryuken they were able to find the warehouse. They had crashed right through the door on their bikes. When the trio got there, they found Rose, Kotonoha and Kenzaki tied up in thick metal cables. Hikari was there too and was opened up like a door, revealing a swirling green portal.

"Contract Complete!" the King Imagin announced as it was about to dart into the portal within Hikari.

"Don't think so, teme!" shouted Ryuji as he fired an ice beam but unfortunately for him he was too late and the King Imagin managed to fly through the portal. Hikari returned to normal and collapsed onto her knees. "Kuso," growled Ryuji.

The Hasumas dismounted from their rides, threw off their helmets and ran towards the hostages. Using Gekiryuken in his Keyblade form, Neko managed to cut them free. She then hugged Kenzaki, crying. Even Kat did the same and wrapped her arms tight around Rose. Ryuji was showing some restraint but even he couldn't resist pulling Kotonoha into his arms. The siblings were just glad that the ones they loved were safe.

"Koto-chan, are you hurt?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm fine," she told him. "The Imagin just grabbed me." Ryuji was unconvinced but he would check if she had any injuries later.

Rose was being fussed over by Kat, despite insisting that she was fine repeatedly. Kat just wanted to make sure her silver haired lover was alright and unharmed at all. "Kat, stop worrying. You came to my rescue so I'm fine."

"OK," Kat accepted but then her red eyes narrowed dangerously, "But that freak is gonna pay."

Neko and Kenzaki's reunion was a bit more passionate. She'd tackled him to the ground and kissed him senseless. After a minute they broke apart, cheeks flushed. "We're going to have a real long talk after this, Mister," she said with a smile. He just nodded dumbly.

"Did you just give me tongue?" he asked and she just smacked him. He wouldn't feel it but he knew the gesture was a playful one.

Ryuji held one of his tickets over Hikari's head and instantly the Imagin's image appeared on it with a date. It was February 14th 2006, the previous year's Valentine's Day. "Hey, Kat, Neko-nee, we have a train to catch."

"Hey, what about me?" asked Kenzaki.

"Sorry, Kenny," grinned Kat. "But this is family business. When that thing kidnapped you all it became personal."

"So, it will only be us," added Neko, clutching Gekiryuken tightly. Kenzaki wrapped his arms around Neko.

"Be safe," said Kenzaki.

The three Hasuma siblings then ran for the exit. They heard the trumpet, roar and bellow of the three DynoLiner cars before they boarded the vehicle towards the time printed on the ticket

* * *

**February 14****th**** 2006**

Hikari stood in front of the shoe lockers. Her crush was about to show up so she didn't have any time to waste. She reached over to open the locker up when she witnessed sand falling off her.

"Huh?" she uttered as she watched the sand fall some more before it piled up and then reformed into the King Imagin. It turned around and grinned. Her eyes widened in shock and horror at the appearance of this monster.

"Hello again," the King Imagin said. Hikari screamed before she fainted. "Heh, I love it when they do that."

The King Imagin emerged from the junior high school where the students were yelling and running in terror. All it had to do was stand there and the students would freak. Sometimes getting a rise out of people was just that easy.

"If they think this is terror, then wait until I begin my mission," the King Imagin laughed.

Heading towards the streets, passersby began to grow panicked as they watched the monster come closer.

Before it could reach the sidewalk, a portal opened with a trumpet and two roars. The DynoLiner quickly followed before passing in front of the stoic Imagin. As it went past, Ifrit, Ryukendo, and CopyKat were found standing in its way.

"Let me tell you this from the start; I am pretty pissed off," announced Ifrit. His two sisters shared the sentiment.

"Heh, so you came to kill me, huh?" the King Imagin snorted. It reached behind its back before pulling out four scepters, each with one of the suit symbols as an ornament at the top. "Let's see you try!" Both sides then charged at each other, roaring loudly.

Ifrit threw a fist at the Imagin's head but it ducked and managed to backhand him. Both Ryukendo and CopyKat lunged at it with their weapons poised to strike but using its scepters, it fired at them with energy projectiles shaped like the card suits on his chest. They tumbled painfully along the ground from the attacks. Ifrit gritted his teeth and summoned his Ifrit Dao before charging at the Imagin.

Despite their numbers, the Imagin proved to be formidable opponent with its four arms. Ifrit tried to slash at it but got knocked backwards brutally by one of the scepters. Ryukendo and CopyKat tried to strike from the sides but were then blasted with energy projectiles. Sparks exploded off their armors, causing the girls to scream.

The King Imagin then pressed on its attack, slashing with the sharp heads of his scepters. The trio of Riders tried to fight back but theywere outmatched by this one Imagin.

The King Imagin gloated, "Is this the best you three can do? Hah! Pathetic! Now, kneel and bow down to me!"

"Kuso…" growled Ifrit as he pushed himself back to his feet.

"I won't lose," swore CopyKat.

"Me neither," added Ryukendo.

"Ojou-sama, get up!" urged Gekiryuken. He could see the Imagin preparing the killing blow. The suit symbols on its chest were glowing and so were the scepters. He aimed them at the three Riders and fired.

The projectiles flew through the air at the Riders and then exploded. The King Imagin expected to see three dead Riders once the smoke cleared but what he could see shocked him. They were unharmed and with a dome barrier surrounding them. "What!?" the King Imagin cried.

The dome faded and someone spoke, "When you mess with the Hasuma siblings, be prepared to take them all on." The three Riders saw a familiar face with braided red hair and green eyes, wearing a black jumpsuit with red gloves and boots. In his right hand was a red sword with a round hilt decorated by elaborate masks. Hanging from it was a keychain shaped like a bullet train.

"Ryuki!" exclaimed Ifrit.

"Ryu-chan!" gasped Ryukendo

"Otouto!" cried CopyKat.

Yes, it was none other than Ryuki Hasuma, who was also known as…Kamen Rider Draco.

"Henshin," called out Ryuki as he slid a card like Kat's inside his belt buckle. It then split open to reveal a golden dragon crest on a blue background.

First to form was a black bodysuit with red diamond patterns on the sides of his body, legs and sleeves. Then, his torso armor formed, which was white and red with broad shoulders and red headlights on the chest. Finally, the helmet formed with large red triangular eyes and silver spikes under them. The golden dragon emblem under his collar glowed as he gripped his Keyblade in his hand.

Now all four Hasuma siblings stood together as Kamen Riders.

The King Imagin sneered, "Four or four hundred, I shall still defeat you!"

"Let's see about that," said Draco. "Kyoudai! Ikuzo!"

"Hai!" CopyKat, Ryukendo and Ifrit responded with nods.

The four Hasumas then charged at the Imagin, brandishing their weapons. The Imagin roared and fired its energy projectiles but they just flew harmlessly past its targets and exploded. Its eyes widened as they came close and struck.

The first to strike was Ifrit who started to swipe away at the King Imagin, spilling sparks as he struck with his Ifrit Dao. He then used a back kick that connected with its chest, sending it staggering backwards. Ryukendo dashed past him and continued the assault with export swings of her own Keyblade, striking at vital points with the sharp edge of her sword. The Imagin cried out in anguish. She then switched to stabbing it repeatedly with Gekiryuken and then using a front kick to send it back.

CopyKat and Draco dropped down on it and swung down with their weapons. The Imagin raised up its scepters of block and they locked weapons. Draco and CopyKat continued to push down as the King Imagin tried to push them back. Suddenly, he was being bombarded by shots as Draco and CopyKat leapt away.

Ifrit was responsible and using his Sub-Zero Shooters to send the Imagin stumbling back with repeated shots. Seeing an opening, Ryukendo launched her attack.

"Ryuou…RAIMEI GIRI!" Her blade became electrified and with a swing of it she sent several lightning bolts surging towards the Imagin. They struck and it became electrocuted by the attack.

CopyKat twirled her axes around before crossing them in front of her. Putting one foot in front of the other, she bent her knees before she drew her arms back and then throwing them forward to toss her axes through the air. The edges of the blades gleamed as they spun through the air like spinning discs of death. The axes slashed at the Imagin repeatedly as they flew around him, cutting wounds open in its arms. The Imagin let out agonizing cries from the assault.

Ifrit and Ryukendo then jumped up into the air and executed a Double Rider Kick which sent the King Imagin sliding backwards.

"Now, to finish it! Hissatsu waza!" shouted Draco as he spun his turntable hilt. It did several rotations before finally stopping at the red mask which aligned with the blade. Both blade and masked shone brightly in red as energy tracks appeared under Draco's feet which led towards the Imagin. Gripping his weapon tightly in both hands and at his side, he rushed along the train tracks. The Imagin saw this but it was too late for it to do anything. It couldn't even escape seeing as Ifrit had frozen its feet to the ground.

"FULL THROTTLE BREAK-DENSHA GIRI!" shouted Draco as he performed a horizontal sword slash, unleashing a crimson energy blade which cut right through the King Imagin on contact. Draco sped past as the Imagin exploded before he screeched to a halt with the energy tracks fading.

"Yatta," said Draco as he hefted the Keyblade onto his shoulder. He turned to look at his brother and sisters, giving them a thumbs up gesture. "Good job."

* * *

Once the Riders returned back to the present, there was a huge celebration held at Kotonoha's house. It was a celebration to commemorate the reunion of the four Hasuma siblings. Ryuki, Ryuji, Kat, and Neko were in attendance with the significant others being with three of the four. Bobby and Cathy were leaning against each other while Kat remained snuggled with Rose. Neko never left contact with Kenzaki. Ryuji had his arm wrapped around Kotonoha's shoulders. Kokoro was enjoying getting a visit from her Ruji-niichan's brother and sisters. Loki was happy to serve snacks and beverages to the guests. Even Athena and Eros took the time to relax and have a little fun.

"Kampai!" the group toasted as they clinked their glasses together.

"So, otouto," Kat spoke up. "Just how the heck did you know we were in trouble?"

"Just a feeling," Ryuki shrugged. "I felt an upswing in emotion from the three of you. Siblings' bond and all. Knowing you don't get THAT emotional for no reason, I decided to see what was happening."

"Well, you came at the right time, Ryu-chan," Neko smiled. "We needed the backup."

"I could have come," Kenzaki sighed.

"Hey, it was family business," Ryuji snorted. "Hasumas only."

Kenzaki rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. He was just glad that Neko was alright and vice versa. Neko gave Kenzaki a nervous look before she whispered something into his ear, "Ken-kun, we need to talk in private."

Kenzaki silently nodded and they both walked away from the party and to someplace private. Nobody seemed to take notice that they had gone. He was just happy to have her back. She had just been so distant with him lately.

"So, tell me, Bobby-kun," began Ryuki, "How long have you and Cathy-chan been dating? And don't try to deny it. We all know it's true."

Bobby paled as Cathy blushed dark crimson.

* * *

Setsuna was currently working on her computer. She had been researching the Kamen Riders in her spare time and was discovering a bunch of things. Mostly it was about the Riders' abilities, but also about the odd new Rider that would pop up for a little while before vanishing again.

"Feb 14th 2006, a strange four armed monster attacks a junior high school," she read. "Strange armoured heroes stopped it."

A picture followed the headline, revealing four armored heroes standing around a four-armed monster. Three of the heroes she recognized. The fourth one was new.

"Strange," Setsuna pondered. "I don't remember finding this article yesterday."

So far, in her research about the Riders Setsuna had drawn up several theories about them, even if they sounded illogical, but even so how else could she explain their existence and their abilities?

The first theory was that they were aliens and so were these monsters and the Riders job was to eliminate these evil aliens.

The second theory was that the Riders were secret military group that were given the duty of killing these monsters.

Both seemed plausible but she hadn't found anything to support her theories. Also, the fact was that the Riders also used trains, which was strange. Why trains?

If she wanted answers, that would mean asking the Riders themselves, but could she really do that without repercussions?

For now, she would just observe and see where the Riders stood. Were they truly the protectors they were publicly seen as or did they have ulterior motives. Nobody did anything at this scale for no reason. The Riders were definitely a mystery Setsuna was determined to solve just so she could return to a more normal life.

* * *

Neko and Kenzaki stood in front of each other. Neko shuffled her feet on the floor as she played with her fingers. "Ano…Ken-kun?"

"Yeah," he responded.

"You've noticed that I've been acting strange lately, right?" she said. In fact he did but he wasn't going to say anything to agree with that, knowing how it would embarrass her. He did nod, instead.

"I really think we should talk about this," she said. "This has been put off for a pretty long time." She gulped, cheeks reddened.

'_What does she mean?_' Kenzaki thought.

"You see, my behavior as of late is actually because…because…" she hesitated and stammered. She couldn't say it but she had to. "It's because I've been having wet dreams."

Kenzaki blinked, "Say what?"

"I've been having very vivid, hot and sweaty wet dreams about you and me," she elaborated.

His eyes widened and he didn't know what to say as his jaw dropped.

"Baka!" she cried, "I've been having dreams about us having sex!"

That was a big bomb dropped on Kenzaki. Shaking his head, he decided to speak, "So, how long have you been having these dreams?"

"Once in a while but recently I've been having them a lot. Remember that day when you woke me up?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, rubbing the cheek she'd slapped.

"And remember when I walked into the control room in my bra and panties?" she blushed a little.

As much as he liked seeing her in little as possible, he knew this was serious. "It's a bit hard to forget that."

Blushing, she continued, "I asked Kat-neechan and she thinks that these dreams are a reflection of my repressed sexual urges."

"So, that's normal," said Kenzaki.

"Still, I don't know what to do!" she cried. "I don't want us to break up because of these dirty dreams!"

'_Break up? She thinks I'm going to break up with her because of this?_' Kenzaki thought. "Neko…Neko-chan," he began. "It's normal to have dreams like that, even at your age."

"Really?" she said, looking at him.

He rubbed the back of his head, "I've had…dreams like that. Fantasies too." This was a bit awkward for him to admit but if Neko was willing to bare her secrets, he should be able to do it too. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"I know, but does this mean we have to have sex?" she asked.

"No, it doesn't," Kenzaki asked. "Not if you're not ready."

"I don't know if I am or not anymore," Neko shook her head in confusion. "Are these dreams telling me I should go for it?"

Kenzaki did want to be intimate with Neko, to be one with her, but he didn't want to harm her by being selfish. He pulled her into an embrace and she gasped before closing her eyes in his warm embrace. "Those dreams are just a message. You're the one that interprets them. If you're ready, then you'll know. I'll never force you into something you don't think you're ready for."

"I want it to be special, Ken-kun."

"I know." He looked into her eyes. "I know."

"Ken-kun…"

"Neko-chan…"

The two then pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss, just holding onto each other like that.

"Smile!" announced Kat as she suddenly jumped in front of the couple with a camera phone.

Click!

"Oh, yeah, now that's a keeper!" she chuckled and then she called out, "Hey, everyone, wanna see Kenny and Neko smacking lips?"

Kenzaki growled, "Kat…" He then roared, "Give me that phone!" He lunged for her but she jumped out of the way before she ran off, laughing. "Come back here!" he shouted as he gave chase.

"You can't catch me, Kenny!" taunted Kat.

Neko sighed. With Kat around her tender moments with Kenzaki were going to be interrupted a lot. Still, she was happy. With a smile on her lips she went back to join the party.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, that's the chap. Next you're gonna see two new guest Riders and you wouldn't believe who they are.

**The GaroLiner Hunters** are a group of Multiversal bounty hunters who hunt down criminals with huge bounties on them. One of their bounties is that they never go after any small fish (Class-C and below) and only hunt after Class-B and above bounties. They are based in the GaroLiner. Originally, Kenzaki was the only Rider of this train, succeeding his adoptive father, the original Garoh. Then, Neko joined up and became his partner.

GaroLiner Hunters membership

**Neko Hasuma/Kamen Rider Ryukendo**

Bio: She is the co-owner of the GaroLiner and girlfriend of the owner, Kenzaki Tsukuba. She is the Yang half of Kat and possesses her memories and skills. She also possesses the ability to absorb the physical attributes of any material she touches but her main combat ability rests in her sword fighting skills. Like her brother, Ryuki, she also possesses a Keyblade which has a spirit sealed within in. Gekiryuken is her weapon, transformation device and partner, assuming the form of a medallion when not in use. Gekiryuken gives Neko advice. Though she is shown to be cheerful, she can never forget about the time when she and Kat had been whole and evil due to the influence of the Living Gate. She DOES love Kenzaki but she feels she is undeserving of it.

**Kenzaki Tsukuba/Kamen Rider Garoh**

Bio: He first appears to kill Neko but after receiving an explanation he becomes her friend and something more. 12 years prior in his own world Copycat showed up and killed his family and destroyed his world. He was then found by Gou Tsukuba (formerly Gou Fukami) who became his surrogate father. After Gou's death, Kenzaki inherited the GaroLiner and the title of Kamen Rider Garoh. At first he hated Neko but then he started to fall in love with her. This caused tension between himself, Neko and Rose. He and Neko become close and Neko too starts developing feelings for him. In the end they confess their feelings to each other and become a real couple. He has four Imagin partners named Okami, Buraki, Byakko and Raion who each help him assume different Rider forms and also can combine for Emperor Form. He also possesses an ultimate form called Lunar Form.

**Kumiko Tsukuba**

Bio: She is Kenzaki's adopted sister and the only person who can keep the Imagin in line aside from Kenzaki himself. Though she doesn't actively fight the Imagin, she provides a support role. She loves Neko like a sister and hates it when she sees Neko and Kenzaki having trouble with their relationship.

**Shiori**

Bio: She is the gynoid maid and waitress of the GaroLiner, cooking and serving food and drink to the residents of the train and any passengers they pick up. She doesn't serve much of a role aside from her initial one as Kenzaki's maid.


	15. The Mysterious DenZero Duo

In the bed that Kotonoha and Ryuji were sharing, the girl looked over at her sleeping boyfriend. She really couldn't believe it, really, but it was real. He was her boyfriend and she loved him.

Her first boyfriend had been Makoto Itou who'd been an unfaithful bastard. A part of her would always care for him but now she and he were no more than friends. It was still awkward just talking to him without Sekai or Ryuji around. She knew if Ryuji ever saw her with Makoto he would just assume the worst and attack Makoto but she knew he would stop at her request.

Her second and present boyfriend…well, he was a strange one. He wasn't from around here. In fact, he hadn't even been born on this world. He was actually from an alternate timeline where superhuman heroes and villains would battle in the endless war between good and evil. From what she knew, he'd been on the evil side but had sought redemption with help from his brother.

He was strange, but special to her. He also treated her better than Makoto ever had. He would never force himself on her, he would listen to what she had to say, he would give her all his attention and he would not ever cheat on her.

She'd discovered from reliable sources that each member of the Hasuma clan actually imprinted upon someone that they'd chosen to be their mate. Such implications brought a blush to Kotonoha's cheeks but it was welcomed. That would mean that he would always be hers and no one else's and that he would love her and her alone.

She knew he loved her. He'd told her and showed her many times. They'd made love passionately and she knew he wanted to be close to her and be with one with her, their bodies joined as they loved each other physically. Sometimes she just got weak to the knees thinking about it.

Last spring break she'd gotten drunk and spilled the beans about her and Ryuji's intimate physical relationship. It'd been so embarrassing when she was asked to tell them how he performed in bed while she and the girls had a slumber party.

Ryuji's reputation was still bad, especially after he'd beaten Taisuke up for a small matter of a cake. Well, it'd been special and made for her. He'd worked hard to make it for her. Luckily, she had been able to have some of that cake, a new one, during the housewarming party when Ryuji moved in to her home. It had been a private affair but still special. The cake had been wonderful.

This boy, she knew, was her soul mate. She was the one she was destined to be with. Despite the fact that he didn't believe in neither the idea of soul mates or fate, she still held onto that belief. How else could she explain seeing him in different periods of the past and being saved by her 'Knight in Shining Armor'?

Under her bed was shoebox with childhood mementos with one of them being a drawing of Ifrit that she'd drawn when she had been little. That had been when Ifrit had to go into the past to go after an Imagin.

Back then, at age 5, she'd gone to the playground with her mother to play when all of a sudden a strange monster that looked like a bull attacked. She screamed in fright as the monster went to attack her. She then felt someone carry her to safety and she'd gazed upon his armoured visage. As soon as she'd returned home, she'd drawn a picture of him.

She'd blushed when she went to look back at the picture and saw a pink heart drawn around the crudely drawn Ifrit. Her first crush had been on her present boyfriend.

There had been many instances aside from that where Ifrit had saved her in the past, but those were other stories.

She kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you, Watashi No Senshi," before she went back to sleep and snuggled against him.

* * *

**"THE MYSTERIOUS DEN-ZERO DUO"**

* * *

The day was fine in the world which we would think of only as an anime. A world which we would only assume would exist inside another person's mind or inside of a television set from Japan. The sun was shining and there were people simply enjoying their day. It seemed like it would be just a regular day.

Inside a café, a certain pair of lovers was enjoying a date. They were sharing an ice cream sundae together and were taking turns feeding each other. The girl was wearing a simple blouse and red skirt combination. She had long dark hair and a somewhat generous bust in which her boyfriend loved along with everything else about her. She had a soft smile on her face and the look of true love in her eyes.

The boy sitting across from her couldn't look more like a polar opposite. He had long and wild black hair that went down his back and was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with a black leather bomber jacket. The aura he gave off was one that just screamed of 'punk' and those who didn't know him as intimately as his girlfriend did would think of him as scary.

These were Kotonoha Katsura and Ryuji Hasuma.

"Yum!" Kotonoha smiled as Ryuji fed her a spoonful of ice cream.

"I can think of a way to make this ice cream better," Ryuji smirked as he admired the smile on Kotonoha's face.

"Oh?" Kotonoha smiled, knowing that there was an ecchi thought in her boyfriend's mind just by seeing the way he looked at her. She didn't mind. His ecchi thoughts were usually very flattering. "And what way would that be?"

Smirking, Ryuji leaned over so he could whisper in her ear, "Maybe if I lick it off of your nude body."

"You're insatiable, Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha giggled with a flush on her face as she swatted her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Well, you made me this way," Ryuji grinned. "Showering me with affection and loving me like you do. How am I supposed to react?"

"Oh, so I made you this way?" Kotonoha smiled. "Feeling me up every chance you get?"

"Seems that way to me," Ryuji shrugged teasingly. "Are you going to take responsibility?"

"I suppose I must," Kotonoha sighed dramatically. "I'll just have to follow through with all those horrible perverted ideas you have about me."

"That's my Tenshi-chan," Ryuji smiled. "Always ready to step up to the plate."

Before Ryuji could continue flirting and hopefully score a homerun, his watch started beeping. Cursing softly lest his girlfriend could hear, he looked to it. A compass function had activated and was pointing in a single direction. Looking up, Kotonoha was already shooing her boyfriend away.

"You don't have to wait for me, Ryuji-kun," she spoke. "People are going to need you there."

"Right," Ryuji nodded as he got up. "Gomen, Koto-chan."

"You can make it up to me later," Kotonoha replied. "Now go."

Nodding, Ryuji exited the cafe and mounted his bike. He put on his helmet and secured it before dashing to the direction where his watch had been pointing. He swerved through streets and alleys as he went for the source of the disturbance his watch was pointing him to. As he got closer, he heard a loud explosion rip through the air.

"Looks like they're beginning without me," Ryuji frowned as he picked up the pace.

Dashing out through an alley, he looked for the Imagin that were responsible for the attack. As he stopped his bike and took of his helmet, his eyes quickly landed on a large cloud of dust which was keeping him from seeing anything. Knowing this was the source, he began to dismount from his back and reach for something behind his back.

"Yeeeaaarrgh!" two voices cried in pain.

"Huh?" Ryuji blinked.

Two shapes were suddenly thrown from the cloud and they rolled across the asphalt. Both of the figures didn't look human in the slightest. They both looked like red and black humanoid spiders with a web crest across their shoulders. Their mouths were filled with jagged teeth and they had several unblinking eyes which were clouded from pain.

"Dammit!" Spider Imagin-1 growled. "Who would have thought we would run into them?

"I thought we'd have to deal with some little Rider!" Spider Imagin-2 coughed.

"_Little_ Rider?" Ryuji growled.

"Heh, you guys sure are weak," a gruff voice called from the dust. "I don't even need to reach my climax!"

"I guess regular Imagin just can't compete with us, Momo-nii," a second voice called.

Two figures walked out of the dust and Ryuji's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open.

Both were donned in black bodysuits, but that was where the similarities ended. The figure on the left had a red chestplate with a belt that was donned with a red insignia and four colored buttons. He wore a white helmet with a pair of large red eyes acting as a visor. A black sword with a red blade was leaning on his shoulder as he walked forward.

The second figure had a black, green, and yellow decorated belt on his waist. His chest armour was green with yellow tracks running down the shoulders before combining into one track down his chest. His helmet was black with yellow tracks running over the face. The visor was a pair of green eye-pieces with gray horns in them. He had a large sword in his hand as he walked next to his companion.

One thing Ryuji knew for sure was that these guys were Riders!

The red one shouted, "Ikuze, ikuze, ikuze!" and went to attack the first Spider Imagin while his comrade, the green Rider, attacked the second one.

The red Rider slashed at Spider Imagin-1 who rolled to the side and then flipped back to its feet. It tried to land a strike on the red Rider who spun at his heels before slashing the Imagin across the back. The Imagin whirled around in anger and pain and received a brutal kick in the gut.

The green Rider was not even letting the second Spider Imagin get up and was swinging his sword down upon it mercilessly. He only stopped when he got a face full of webbing courtesy of the Spider Imagin-2. It then got back to its feet and slashed at the green Rider with his claws.

Narrowing his eyes, Ryuji decided to intervene. This was his turf and he was not about to let two newbies get in his way. He summoned his belt and slung it around his waist before pressing the transformation button. Then he slid in the pass. "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!**" His black and blue armor formed and finally his grilled visor slid over his helmet. The armor was mainly black and blue with plating along the arms and legs, with boots, gauntlets and a chestplate. The slits of his visor flashes once the change was complete.

"RAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!" Ifrit roared as he entered the battle. His appearance caught the attention of the two Spider Imagin and the Riders with them.

"Nani?" the red Rider uttered.

"Huh?" the green Rider let out.

Ifrit summoned his weapons which took on the form of shotguns. Taking aim, he opened fire on the twin Spider Imagin without mercy.

"Woah!" the red Rider cried as he ducked out of the way.

"Watch it!" the green Rider added as he dodged the bullets.

"This is my turf so you'd better watch it!" Ifrit growled as he ran past the pair.

The two Spider Imagin were knocked back from the blasts, but they weren't dead yet. Clicking their mandibles, they started shooting wads of webbing at the native Rider. Ifrit tried shooting again, but wads of webbing blocked the barrels before more wads got his hands.

"Kuso!" Ifrit growled as he attempted to get the webbing off.

"Yeah, that was real impressive kid," the green Rider sighed. Separating the blade from its handle, he switched the handle around and joined the weapon back together. The blade then opened up to become a crossbow which the green Rider took aim with.

He fired off several rounds and hit the two Imagin in their midsections, forcing them back. They weren't able to get their wind back to fire more webbing.

"Now we're getting at a climax!" the red Rider laughed as he charged at the pair.

"Hey!" Ifrit snapped as he kept ripping the webbing away. "I just told you're they're mine!"

"First come, first serve!" the red Rider shouted back before he dove into battle.

"Momo-nii is going to kill Pop one of these days," the green Rider sighed before he charged after his ally.

"Rrrr!" Ifrit growled before the last of the webbing came off his hands. Gripping his weapons, he engulfed them in blue flames which morphed the guns into his twin Ifrit Dao.

"Outta my way!" he roared as he dashed towards the fight.

He charged at the red Rider and leaped at the Spider Imagin. As he came down, he wrapped his arms around its neck and tackled it to the ground. With it stunned, Ifrit began slashing at it without mercy, creating a rain of sparks.

"Oi! Stop interrupting!" the red Rider shouted before he gripped Ifrit by the shoulder and pulled him back. The Spider Imagin began to recover before the red Rider kicked it in the side, making it roll away.

"I said this one's mine!" Ifrit shouted as he charged again.

Elbowing the Imagin in the face, the red Rider turned to face his fellow Rider, "Would you just back off and let me fight, gaki? I'm trying to enjoy myself!"

"This is my turf!" Ifrit argued before he turned one of his swords into a gun and shot the Imagin, knocking it onto his back. The gun then turned back into a sword. "I'm the one who deals with Imagin!"

"Well we got here first!" the red Rider retorted.

"URUSEI! FUCK OFF!" Ifrit roared as he kicked the red Rider in the chest sending him stumbling backwards. He turned his attention back towards the two Spider Imagin. "GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Gengi!" He raised his swords above his head and then swung them downward to send out twin energy blades. "JIGOKU GIRI!"

The sword attack cut into the two Spider Imagin and sent them flying a fair distance away. The red Rider rubbed his chest and glared at his fellow Rider. He was quickly getting steamed at the hot tempered Ifrit.

"Oi!" the red Rider snapped. "What the hell was that for?"

"You're in my way!" Ifrit shouted. "I said…IT'S MY TURF!"

"Like I give a damn!" the red Rider sorted. He spotted both Spider Imagin getting back up again. Acting quickly, he gripped a Rider Pass and swiped it over his buckle.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"Time for you to see my Hissatsu attack!" the red Rider called before the blade of his sword shot into the air. "Part 2!"

Thrusting his grip on his blade, the red Rider slashed at the Spider Imagin. The blade followed and slashed the Spider Imagin. The blade cut through from the left shoulder to its right hip. The red Rider then did the same from the right shoulder to the left hip. Finally, in a single motion, the red Rider brought the blade down and cut the Spider Imagin right down the middle. In a cry of pain, the Imagin exploded.

"Kuso!" Ifrit cried as he watched his pay check explode. So much for getting paid for this Imagin.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"Eh?" Ifrit blinked as he turned to see the green Rider.

The green Imagin pulled what looked like a card out of his belt and punched it into his weapon, allowing green energy streams to surge into his crossbow. The Spider Imagin roared a challenge before charging at the green Rider.

"Hah!" the green Rider cried as he pulled the trigger.

A large green 'A' fired from the crossbow and flew towards the Imagin. Said Imagin couldn't move in time and was hit directly in the chest. A large green 'A' was imprinted on its chest before it fell backwards and exploded.

"KUSO!" Ifrit raged, seeing his second pay check go up in smoke.

"Jeez. What's got you all upset?" the green Rider sighed as he holstered his weapon. "So you're left out of the fighting. Big deal."

"Hey, I don't need a pair of newbies horning in on my turf!" Ifrit growled while pointing at the green Rider.

"Newbies?" cried the red Rider. "I am no newbie! I've been doing this for months!"

"Oh yeah?" Ifrit snorted. "Then how come I've never heard of you guys before?"

"The reason is because we come from a different timeline," the green Rider answered. "We're here because we needed a break."

"Well, you're in the wrong place for one," Ifrit snorted. "Now shove off!"

"Hnn, after Fang-boy this IS a vacation," the red Rider snorted.

"Don't care," Ifrit growled. "I said shove off!"

"What if I don't feel like it?" the red Rider growled.

"Then…" Ifrit began.

"Ryuji-kun!" a female voice cried.

All three Riders turned to the source of the voice and saw a girl their age running towards the battle. Ifrit froze in the spot while the red Rider looked at her in confusion. The green Rider likewise froze at the sight of her.

"Koto-chan!" Ifrit cried as he stepped forward. "What have I told you about coming to the fights?"

"But I was worried," Kotonoha answered. "And you weren't fighting anymore. You were just arguing with these other Riders."

"I'm gonna kick his ass if he keeps getting in my face," the red Rider growled.

"Relax, Momo-nii," the green Rider sighed. Stepping forward, he spoke to Kotonoha. "Um…excuse me miss, but…you don't happen to be Kotonoha Katsura are you?"

"Why yes I am," Kotonoha nodded. "Do I know you?"

"Um…no," the green Rider denied. "I've actually heard a lot about you though."

Ifrit's eyes narrowed as he pulled Kotonoha possessively against him. "Get your own girlfriend. She's mine."

Now the green Rider was shocked. Back in his own timeline he'd played a visual novel game called School Days so it was a surprise for him to see the girl in person and in real life.

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha sighed while blushing as he claimed her as his own. It was nice to feel loved like this even if Ryuji was a little possessive and prone to jealous fits. At least he knew when to control it. "He was just getting to know me. Don't get angry."

Ifrit's expression softened under his helmet as calmed down. "Fine, Koto-chan." He then asked the two Riders, "So, who are you two supposed to be?"

"Den-O," the red Rider answered. "Kamen Rider Den-O."

"You can call me Kamen Rider Zeronos," the green Rider introduced.

"Den-O?" asked Ifrit. He remembered that name after his first fight in this timeline when he returned as Ifrit. How could he be mistaken for this guy though? "I've heard that name before."

"Heh, course you did," Den-O SF nodded. "I'm just that cool."

"Momo-nii," Zeronos AF warned.

"Oh, yeah?" Ifrit snorted. "Why don't you just go-."

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha admonished. She turned to the two Riders and bowed respectfully. "It's nice to meet both of you. Um…can I offer a more private place to talk?"

"Uh…y-yeah," Zeronos AF nodded. He grabbed his belt and removed it.

"Whatever," Den-O SF grunted before he removed his own belt.

"Sure, Koto-chan," Ifrit nodded before he undid his own belt.

The suits of the three Riders vanished in a haze of colored shards. Once the shards cleared, Ryuji took notice of the two young men who were wearing the armor of Kamen Riders. To his surprise, he recognized one of them.

"Huh?" Ryuji blinked. "Saotome? Ranma Saotome?"

"Yeah?" asked Ranma. "Do I know you personally or did my Pop steal from you?"

"Do you know him, Ryuji-kun?" asked Kotonoha curiously.

"Well…I know a version of him," Ryuji answered. "There's a Ranma Saotome in my old timeline. He was an okay guy, but I don't know this one."

"You mean there's more than one of me?" Ranma asked in confusion.

"Jeez, Pop. Didn't figure that out by now?" the other young man asked with a sigh. "Mom wasn't kidding when she said you were dense."

"And just who are you?" asked Ryuji suspiciously.

"Name's Tenma Saotome," the new boy answered. "It's a pleasure."

"Anyway, maybe we should take someplace more private," suggested Kotonoha.

"Later, Koto-chan," said Ryuji as he glared at the two Saotomes in front of him. "You two owe me."

"We don't owe you nothing!" Ranma shot back.

"Yes you do! You both took away my next pay check!"

"Pay check?" both Tenma and Ranma echoed.

Kotonoha explained, "It's a deal he made with the owner of the ChronoLiner, Ant-san. Ryuji-kun gets paid for each Imagin he kills."

"Damn right!" nodded Ryuji.

"You mean I could be getting paid for doing what I do?" asked Ranma with an incredulous look on his face. "Man, Nabiki won't leave me alone if she finds out about that."

"Then don't tell her," Tenma answered. "Usually Riders don't get paid for their work. Frankly, they shouldn't have to be. Fighting Imagin is a noble calling and saving lives shouldn't need monetary payment."

"Yeah, well," Ryuji sighed. "It's kind of necessary when you're trying to get situated in a new timeline. Now are we going to go or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ranma sighed. "Lead the way."

* * *

The journey to Kotonoha's home was a quiet one. Ryuji didn't feel like talking to the two 'intruders' and Kotonoha was there to make sure no fights broke out. She knew her boyfriend to be a little territorial and possessive of things, mainly her and his job.

When Ryuji opened the door, they were greeted by Loki, "Okaeri nasai, Ryuji!" Loki waved pleasantly.

Ryuji sighed, "Tadaima."

Kotonoha explained, "Loki is Ryuji-kun's Imagin partner."

"I guessed," Ranma nodded. "He reminds me of someone though."

As Tenma stepped inside, sand spilled out from his body before it reformed into an Imagin. This was the black-clad and steel handed form of Tenma's Imagin partner, Deneb.

"Hello!" the friendly Imagin greeted the occupants of the room. "My name is Deneb. I hope that we can all become good friends in the future." He then reached behind his back and pulled out a small basked of candy. "Would anyone like some candy? I made it myself."

"I would!" Loki smiled as he picked up a lollipop. "In repayment, I would like for you to have one of my homemade cookies."

Reaching behind his own back, Loki revealed a plate of cookies. Holding them out, it was determined that there were cartoon versions of his face on the plate.

"Ohh! I'd love one!" Deneb cheered as he took one. "Let us be good friends."

"Yes, lets!" Loki smiled.

"Dear, Kami-sama," Ryuji groaned. "Not two of them."

"I hear you," Tenma agreed.

Kotonoha smiled brightly at the exchange between the two Imagin. Things were going along smoothly so far. Deneb and Loki were trading cooking tips for sweets. Still, Ranma and Tenma were sitting next to each other and across from Kotonoha and Ryuji.

"So why are you guys here?" Ryuji asked bluntly.

"Told you," Tenma answered. "We're on a bit of a vacation. We just finished dealing with a real jerk called Gaoh. He wanted to wipe out all time and we had to stop him."

"When we did, the Owner of the DenLiner said we earned a vacation," Ranma continued. "He gave us a ticket and we ended up here."

"Hnn," Ryuji frowned. Okay, after hearing something like that, he supposed a vacation was in order. After he kicked Nanimo's ass, he would ask for a vacation for himself too.

"So…Ranma-san, do you have an Imagin partner too?" asked Kotonoha politely.

"Yeah. Four of them," Ranma grinned. "Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros."

As if on cue, sand poured out of Ranma's clothes and reformed into four Imagin. Each one was colored red, blue, yellow, or purple.

"Ore sanjou!" the red ogre Imagin announced.

"Mind if I string you along?" asked the blue turtle Imagin.

"My strength will make you cry!" the yellow bear Imagin called.

"Mind if I have some cookies now?" asked the purple dragon Imagin. "I don't hear an answer!"

"FOUR Imagin?" Ryuji looked towards Ranma in amazement. "I can barely manage one. How do you do it?"

"A LOT of patience," Ranma said. "So, anyway, you said you get paid for killing Imagin. How come I don't?"

"Well, I'm a special case. Like I said I'm not exactly from this timeline and the cost of living alone is pretty high. Plus, I need to pay for my own school tuition," Ryuji explained.

"So why not get a part time job?" asked Tenma. He still couldn't believe someone would get paid for being a Rider. It just went against his beliefs.

"Well…I have poor people skills," Ryuji confessed. He just couldn't work with people that well.

"Same here," Ranma agreed, knowing what that was like. "So, how much do you get paid?"

"Oh, Ryuji gets paid a lot. Imagin have an A-Class Bounty Rating," answered Loki.

"A-Class…" Ranma began.

"Bounty Rating?" finished Tenma.

"A-Class bounties are usually put on certain individuals who are universal threats or threats to the time stream," Ryuji clarified. "Imagin are under that category and for each one I kill I get around…100,000 or more. It all depends on how much of a threat they are."

"But Ryuji would've done it for free anyway because he wants to protect the woman he loves," Loki added cheerfully making Kotonoha and Ryuji blush.

"Urusei," Ryuji ordered. But Loki was right. He would've done it for free anyway. The pay was just a bonus. Kotonoha's safety was all that mattered to him

"Wow," Ranma blinked. "I'm lucky to have 1,000 yen in my pocket at any given time since Nabiki cons me out of it or Pop steals it."

"Yeah, the other you mention how they liked to do that," Ryuji nodded. "So, how did you get roped into this job?"

"Well, a lady named Hana who lives on my train dropped the Rider Pass where I picked it up," Ranma explained. "Turns out I'm a singularity point."

"So in other words your luck stayed true?" Ryuji smirked. "Man, and I thought my luck sucked."

"Well, I got to meet my friends so I can't complain too much," Ranma snickered.

"Ah, I knew you cared Ranma-kun," Urataros grinned.

"I like you too, Nii-chan!" Ryutaros laughed happily.

"And how are you a Rider to begin with?" asked Tenma. He had learnt from his father about doing good for the sake of it, not for rewards.

Ryuji sighed, "It was in the agreement. If I wanted to stay here I had to accept. Equivalent exchange, you see. I get to be with Koto-chan and all I need to do is to kill some rogue Imagin. Everybody wins."

Sand suddenly began to spill out of Kotonoha's body before reforming into Athena. "Athena!" Kotonoha gasped at her Imagin's sudden appearance.

"I overheard about the arrival of some new Riders so I wanted to check it out, Lady Kotonoha." Athena looked over at Ranma and Tenma before snorting, obviously unimpressed. "Not much to look at." She didn't think too highly of males and only a few deserved her respect like Ryuji for example.

"Oi!" Momotaros snapped, getting to his feet. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am an Amazon," Athena frowned. "You will show me respect."

"I don't bow down to you!" Momotaros retorted. "I don't bow down to anyone!"

Ranma rubbed his temples as he heard the argument. Momotaros was as confrontational as ever. He didn't mind that though. He was used to it. Picking fights was something he would rather do without, but it came with the territory. Still, it was this female Imagin's tone of voice that ticked him off. It reminded him of some of the people he met who figured they deserved respect just because of their birth or position. Ranma hated people like that.

"That's enough!" Tenma called catching Athena and Momotaros' attention. "Look, we're not here to fight. Momo-nii, we're guests here remember? And Athena, or whoever you are, please try not to pick fights with us because we are all still jumpy about fighting Gaoh and we're liable to put the beat down on anyone that is looking for a brawl. So PLEASE don't test us right now."

Athena stared down the new Rider. He was a simple and insignificant male in her view, but something in his voice screamed of battle. As she listened to the other Imagin in the room mutter and chat, she realized that they all had it. Apparently they were well-versed in fighting. In that case, she would hold her tongue for a moment.

"Candy?" Deneb offered Athena a lollipop.

"Sure," she nodded, accepting the gift.

* * *

Sekai was wiping some tables for her shift at the Radish. Things have been pretty slow lately and she was having some time to think. Usually her thoughts drifted to things she liked to think about; school, friends, Makoto. Lately though, she was finding herself a little envious of her friend Kotonoha.

The soft spoken girl had probably one of the most violent people she had ever seen as a boyfriend. Still, it was obvious that he would go through hell and high water to make sure she was happy. The big pieces of jewellery he had spoiled her with were a pretty big sign. Seeing how Ryuji treated Kotonoha, Sekai couldn't help but wish that Makoto would treat her like that every once in a while.

As she continued with her duties, Sekai didn't notice a glowing yellow orb slip through an open window.

* * *

When Kokoro came home from visiting her friend, Uzuki, who had a cold, she was surprised to see her sister and boyfriend along with two new boys and five new Imagin she'd never seen before. The little girl soon got to know them. She liked how Deneb gave her candy and how Urataros told her how cute she was. Kintaros was funny for falling asleep a lot while Ryutaros would play with her. Momotaros reminded her a bit of her Ryuji-niichan.

Eros showed himself as well, introducing himself politely to the Imagin. Momotaros had laughed when Eros introduced himself as the Cupid Imagin and got a kick in the shin from Kokoro.

"Onee-chan," giggled Kokoro. "Looks like you've made a lot of new and interesting friends."

"Hai," Kotonoha agreed. It seemed she had and all because of Ryuji. Even with the unpredictable chaos that would follow, she would never give it up for the world. Thanks to Ryuji, she was no longer lonely.

Ryuji and Ranma, meanwhile, were arguing and bragging about their respective time trains while Tenma watched the exchange with an exasperated expression.

"My DynoLiner is way cooler than your DenLiner!" Ryuji argued.

"So it has some dinosaur faces. Big deal," Ranma huffed. "My DenLiner has six extra cars! You've only got the three DynoLiner cars."

"I don't need more cars!" Ryuji retorted. "My DynoLiner kicks so much ass I don't need extra help!"

"I hope you can back that claim up then!" Ranma smirked.

"You bet I can!" Ryuji snorted.

"Okay," Ranma nodded. "If the next Imagin that shows up turns into a Gigandeath, we can see just how tough this DynoLiner of yours can be."

Before Ryuji could make another rebuttal, his watch beeped. Ranma blinked. "What is that?"

"My next pay check," grinned Ryuji as he activated the compass mode. Tenma knew what Ryuji meant.

"Imagin," the Saotome from the future realized.

"Yeah, and this time it's mine!" Ryuji proclaimed. "Loki, let's go!"

"Right," obeyed Loki before he turned into energy and entered Ryuji. The School Days world's Rider then dashed towards the door.

* * *

A jewellery store was being robbed. Such an occurrence wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Heck, it would be normal if the robbers were wearing costumes. Of course, the robber wasn't wearing a costume. He wasn't even human.

"Now, these jewels are mine!" the Robin Imagin proclaimed. It wore a green tunic with black markings on its chest, baggy brown pants and matching leather boots that came up to its knees. It also wore a feather in its hat and a quiver of arrows. Strapped to its right forearm was a crossbow. He looked exactly like Robin Hood, except for the fact it had a bird's face.

"Freeze!" a human voice shouted.

Blinking, the Robin Imagin turned to face the owner of the voice. It spotted a police officer that was aiming a gun at it. Snorting, the Robin Imagin put the jewels in a pouch. It then gabbed an arrow and loaded it into its crossbow.

"Drop the weapon!" the officer shouted.

"Not bloody likely," the Robin Imagin laughed as it drew the projectile back.

The officer fired his gun just as the Imagin fired its arrow. Both projectiles flew through the air. Both bullet and arrow met up in the middle of the room, but the arrow actually cut through the bullet and continued flying. The arrow struck the officer's gun and knocked it out of his hands. The police officer was stunned and could only watch as the Robin Imagin loaded another arrow.

"Next one goes between the eyes," the Robin Imagin said while aiming. It then let an arrow fly at the officer. Time seemed to stand still as the arrow soared through the air and towards the officer.

The arrow didn't connect with its target, however, when it was snatched out of midair by none other than Ranma Saotome. "Granting a wish, I suppose," said Ranma.

"Who the hell are you?" the Robin Imagin shouted. Meanwhile, Tenma and Ryuji were helping any stragglers to get to safety. Ryuji was also helping the officer out who was still stunned by his near brush with death.

"You picked the wrong day to pull this," Ranma spoke as he drew his Den-O belt. Ryuji and Tenma were quick to follow as they met up with their fellow Rider.

All three of them wrapped their belts around their waists. Ryuji pressed the top button of his belt as Tenma drew his card while Ranma pressed the purple button on his own belt.

"Henshin!" all three young men called as their activated their belts.

"**IFRIT FORM!"**

"**ALTAIR FORM!"**

"**GUN FORM!"**

* * *

Kotonoha, Kokoro, and the remaining Imagin were all watching TV when all of a sudden there was a news flash.

"_Today, the Shining Star Jewellery Store was attacked by what looks like a bird dressed as Robin Hood_," the female news anchor said. "_One of our reporters is at the scene now_."

Kotonoha knew an Imagin was definitely responsible as the screen showed them what was going on live at the scene.

"_It appears that the creature is one of those monsters that has been appearing lately and-"_ before the male reporter could finish, the camera darted towards the store and captured the three Riders on film. The reporter continued, "_And it appears the Kamen Riders have once again showed up to deal with this menace! Still, the two with Ifrit look new, which is not surprising as new Riders seem to be popping out of nowhere. Just where are they coming from?_"

Kotonoha knew, but she wasn't telling.

"Go, Ryuji-niichan!" cheered Kokoro. "Fight!"

* * *

Ifrit used his sword to deflect the arrow coming at him before shooting with his gun, hitting the Imagin dead centre in the chest. Zeronos AF was also slashing away at the Imagin and forced it to dodge. While both the black and green Riders were working together well, the purple one wasn't exactly doing so well in terms of cooperation.

Den-O GF was shooting at the Imagin with his gun erratically and when he missed destroyed a good portion of the store and nearly hit Ifrit and Zeronos AF who were trying to beat their opponent.

"Hey, asshole!" shouted Ifrit at Den-O GF. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"

Den-O GF, being controlled by Ryutaros, wasn't exactly listening, and just laughed as he shot at the Robin Imagin again and again, bombarding it with shots and not giving it a chance to reload its weapon or even fight back. Growling, Ifrit tried to fight while making sure he wouldn't get hit by Den-O GF's gun.

"Get out of my way!" the Robin Imagin growled before he leaped over the two Riders.

"Get back here!" Ifrit roared as he gave chase.

"Hold on!" Zeronos AF called as he followed the black Rider.

"Boom boom!" Den-O GF laughed as he continued to fire at the fleeing Imagin.

Several of the stray shots missed and almost hit Zeronos and Ifrit again. Both Riders had to roll out of the way while their purple comrade continued to fire wildly. Cursing, Ifrit followed the Robin Imagin around a corner. Sadly, it had already vanished from sight.

"KUSO!" he roared. Turning to Den-O GF, he started turning on him. "This is all your fault!"

"Huh?" Den-O GF blinked.

"If your aim didn't suck so badly we would have gotten him!" Ifrit snapped.

"My aim doesn't suck!" Den-O GF whined. "He just moved too fast!"

"Excuses, excuses," snorted Ifrit. "Now let's get out of here and get back!" He was feeling really peeved right now.

* * *

Makoto was pinned against the wall by the Robin Imagin who'd broken into his home. "W-What d-do y-you want?" stammered Makoto. The Imagin dropped the pouch at Makoto's feet.

"Give these to Sekai Saionji," explained the Imagin before he jumped out the window. Makoto slumped onto his knees and picked up the pouch before looking inside. He gawked at the amount of jewellery inside and then recalled the news flash.

"Oh…crap."

* * *

Upon returning to Kotonoha's home, Ryuji and Ranma weren't in the best of moods and were glaring at one another.

"Control that Imagin of yours better," stated Ryuji coldly.

"Hey! Ryutaros isn't some slave or pet!" Ranma snapped. "He's my friend and I can't tell him what to do!"

"Then why keep him?" asked Ryuji incredulously.

"Because he's my friend!" Ranma snapped. "Though with your attitude I'd be surprised if you knew what friends were!"

"Why you-!" Ryuji growled.

"ENOUGH!" Kotonoha suddenly cried loudly. Seeing that all attention was on her, she took a calming breath. "Good. Now Ryuji-kun, I know you're upset with losing the Imagin. That isn't an excuse to lose your temper with Ranma-san or Ryutaros-san."

"Ha!" Ryutaros laughed.

"And you, Ryutaros-san, need to learn how to work better with others," Kotonoha continued. "You have to be careful or else you might hurt someone you don't intend to."

"…okay," Ryutaros sulked.

"Ah, and Kotonoha-chan shows her wisdom," Urataros commented. "It is a shame that you have already been taken."

"Oi! Watch it ero-kame!" Ryuji frowned.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Momotaros laughed at Urataros' shocked expression. "That's a good name for you, Kame!"

"Maybe a change of scenery would be better," said Eros.

"I agree," nodded Kotonoha. "How about we all go to Radish?"

Tenma gulped and glanced at his future father. Could he handle it? "Maybe I should bring Ranko too."

"Ranko?" Ryuji asked.

"My little sister."

* * *

Kotonoha, Ryuji, Kokoro, Tenma, Ranma and Ranko all entered the restaurant with Ranko holding her future father's hand, smiling wide. After being promised ice cream, she immediately jumped to the chance but then again Ranko would take any chance to spend time with her family.

Ranma's eyes, however, were on the scantily clad waitresses. A blush was forming on his cheeks.

"Welcome to the Radish!" greeted Sekai. "Hey, Kotonoha-san!"

"Good to see you, Sekai-san," smiled Kotonoha. It was her day off today and she thought it might be a good day to come with her new friends and her boyfriend.

"Got an empty spot for us?" said Ryuji.

"Follow me," Sekai instructed. "I'll show you to your table." Sekai turned to lead them and her hips swayed. That short skirt wasn't making it any easier for one pigtailed martial artist.

"Breathe, Pop. Breathe," Tenma coaxed his future father

"Reminds me of a place the old perv tricked me into going to once," Ranma grumbled. As the group was led to their table, Ranma attempted to make sure his eyes didn't travel anywhere they shouldn't. Knowing his luck, some mallet-happy tomboy would smash something over his head.

After they got seated (Ranko sat in Ranma's lap by the way), the group made their orders. Ranma decided to order something small since he didn't want to show off his usual table manners. It wasn't like anyone was going to steal his food here.

"So, Tenma," Ryuji decided to speak. "How did you know Koto-chan anyway?"

"Uh…" Tenma suddenly gulped. "You see….uh, in our timeline this world is part of a video game called School Days."

"Really?" Kotonoha gasped. "So that's why you knew me. You've seen me before in the game."

"So what is it about?" Ryuji frowned. He could guess, but he wanted to hear it himself.

"Well," Tenma gulped. This was going to turn out bad if he didn't word it properly. "It's a dating sim. You play as Makoto Itou and try to score with a girl of your choice."

"Nani?" Ryuji gaped. He started frowning. "So which girls do you usually go for?"

"Why does it matter?" Tenma asked, slightly nervous.

"Call me curious," Ryuji frowned.

"Well, I usually go for um….Otome….and…"

"And?" Ryuji pressed.

"…Kotonoha," Tenma muttered quietly.

The temperature in the restaurant fell several degrees after Tenma answered. People were shivering and others were sneezing. Some were starting to complain about the air conditioner being too cold.

"_What?_" Ryuji growled, his eyes narrowed.

Tenma was starting to sweat despite the cold temperature. This was definitely the glare of an overprotective and jealous boyfriend.

"Now, hold on!" Tenma cried. "It's just a game! I'm not the kind of guy who steals another guy's girlfriend! Honest!"

"Yeah, that's Urataros," Ranma sighed.

'_That hurt, Ranma-kun,_' Urataros sighed in Ranma's mind.

"Fine," Ryuji snorted. "But I want to take a look at this game."

"I…wouldn't advise that," Tenma gulped.

"Oh yeah?" Ryuji frowned. "Why not?"

"Because…there are…bad things that happens to the characters," Tenma gulped. "You'd hate it. It would piss you off."

"Like what?" Ryuji asked.

"Well… Sekai kills Makoto and Kotonoha kills Sekai," Tenma answered, making Kotonoha gasp. "Kotonoha kills herself, Sekai kills Kotonoha. Hell, Makoto once got them both pregnant and they decided to share him."

"That's it!" Ryuji snapped. "Now I have to see just what the hell this game is about! It sounds like the freaking anime!"

"Anime?" asked Ranma.

Before the conversation could continue further, Makoto could be seen entering the restaurant. He didn't look all too well. In fact he looked panicked. He walked over to Sekai and grabbed her arm and whispered something to her. Ryuji's eyes narrowed as he saw the vaguely familiar pouch clutched in Makoto's hand. The two then went to the back room where they could speak in private.

* * *

In the back room, Makoto reached into the pouch and pulled out a beautiful and stunning diamond necklace. Sekai gasped as she gazed at the item. "Makoto! It's lovely!" She took it into her hands to admire it closer. "How did you afford it?"

"You could say it was…" he picked his words right. "A steal." He then handed the pouch to her. "There's more of it inside." As Sekai looked through the pouch, someone decided to speak.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" questioned Ryuji as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes were on the pouch and on the guilt painted on Makoto's face.

* * *

Back inside the dining area, a blue haze of energy suddenly entered Ranma.

"Papa?" asked Ranko.

"Mind if I string you along?" Ranma Blue asked with a suave smirk. His hair was slicked to the side with a blue streak in it. A pair of oval glasses was worn over his bright blue eyes.

"Hi, Ura-nii!" Ranko smiled brightly.

"Hello to you too, Ranko-chan," Ranma Blue smiled. He started looking around the Radish and eyed all of the pretty waitresses in their uniforms. "My, my, such a bountiful pond I have found myself in. To come without fishing would be a crime."

"Ranma-san?" asked Kotonoha as she watched Ranma Blue stand up and stroll towards the bar with the waitress attending it.

"That would be Ura-nii," Tenma sighed. "He can't go anywhere without flirting with a pretty girl. Let him have his fun."

* * *

Ryuji never let up his glare and walked towards Makoto before staring him straight in the eye. "OK, Itou, tell me where you got that pouch."

"I f-found it," stuttered Makoto as Ryuji's cold blue eyes bore into his own.

"Bullshit," Ryuji gripped his fist. "You must've been stupid enough to ask for a wish from one of those monsters again." He eyed Makoto intensely but then his eyes went to Sekai as he witnessed the sand pooling at her feet. "Masaka. Saionji?"

* * *

"Your boyfriend is sure taking his time in the bathroom," said Tenma.

"I know," she agreed, checking her watch.

Setsuna was also sitting at the bar counter. In front of her was a notebook and she was currently writing things down, basically things she was observing. One of those things was the guy that had come with Ryuji and the others flirting with the waitresses and actually succeeding.

* * *

"Saionji, did you happen to make a wish recently?" asked Ryuji. He knew the signs of when someone made a contract with an Imagin. The sand coming off someone was a tell-tale sign. "Come on, remember."

"What are you talking about?" Sekai asked.

"That necklace and all that jewellery in that pouch," Ryuji clarified. "Where did it come from."

"Makoto gave them to me."

"And where, Itou, did you get them?" he demanded.

Makoto was scared. That monster had threatened him so he wouldn't blab but currently Ryuji was looking scarier. Immediately, under Ryuji's scrutiny, Makoto confessed, "Some thing dressed up like Robin Hood!" Sekai gasped.

Ryuji gaze returned to Sekai, "I guess that sounds familiar to you, right?" She nodded. "So, did you ask for something?"

"I kinda wanted Makoto to be more romantic," she answered, "Kinda like how you're always so romantic with Kotonoha-san."

Ryuji gave her a hard stare for a second before turning his back to her. "Thanks," said Ryuji. "Oh, and Itou, grow a backbone." He then walked out of the back room. He had an idea where the Imagin would strike next.

* * *

The waitresses surrounding Ranma Blue swooned and giggled, forgetting what they were supposed to do. Ryuji came out to see this and quirked an eyebrow before snorting in disgust. Ranma wasn't earning his respect if he would allow his Imagin to take control like that. He walked over to where Tenma was sitting and the green Rider jumped a bit when he saw Ryuji.

It was a good thing Tenma hadn't mentioned the sex scenes. If the death scenes caused Ryuji to react with such hostility, imagine what would happen when he found out about the sex scenes, especially the ones involving Kotonoha.

"I found a lead on that Imagin that got away. Let's go," said Ryuji.

"What about…?" Tenma began.

"Let him flirt with the girls. So, are you in or out?"

"I'm in, I'm in," Tenma agreed. He then turned to Kotonoha. "Um, could you watch Ranko while we're gone?"

"Of course," Kotonoha nodded. "She and Kokoro seem to be getting along very well."

"Thanks," Tenma smiled. "Let's go!"

"Ikuzo!" Ryuji snapped.

As the two boys made a dash for the exit, Ranma Blue took notice of them. Sighing regretfully, he turned his attention to the giggling waitresses, "My apologies ladies, but I fear I will have to go. I shall return though."

Leaving the disappointed waitresses behind, Ranma Blue followed his fellow Riders out of the door. Setsuna watched him leave before finishing her drink. Closing her notebook, she followed the three young men.

* * *

The Robin Imagin was just leaving the candy store with a huge sack containing stolen chocolates. "This will definitely complete the contract," it snickered.

"That's far enough for you," said Ryuji as he and Tenma stood in its way.

"Damn it," cursed the Robin Imagin. "Not you again."

"That's right, creep," smirked Tenma. "Now we're going to finish you right off."

"Try me," the Imagin challenged.

Tenma and Ryuji slung their belts around their waists before fastening them on. As Ryuji took out his pass and pressed the top button on his belt buckle, Tenma was pushing on the switch of his own belt.

Ryuji called, "Henshin!" as he slid in the pass.

"Henshin!" Tenma called as he slid in the card.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

"**ALTAIR FORM!**"

* * *

Kotonoha wasn't sure what it was, but she was having this strange urge to get up and go find Ryuji. He could be in danger while she was here, safe and sound. She should be there cheering him on. Standing up, she said to Kokoro, "Kokoro-chan, watch Ranko-chan for me, OK?"

"Where are you going, Onee-chan?" asked Kokoro curiously as she watched her sister leave without another world.

* * *

The Imagin was definitely deadlier now since its crossbow would automatically reload itself. Still, its arrows would still vanish from the quiver so it would run out of ammo, right? Unfortunately, such an assessment was inaccurate as the Robin Imagin's arrows were limitless.

Zeronos AF and Ifrit were both deflecting arrows with their weapons. The projectiles were keeping them from getting close to the Imagin and this just made Ifrit madder than he already was. That wasn't really a good thing, for anyone.

"This is going to be the last fight!" the Robin Imagin laughed.

"Oh? I would disagree with that," a new voice called.

The Robin Imagin blinked and turned around. He didn't get to see much before a foot collided with his face. Crying in pain, the Robin Imagin stumbled back. Looking up, it saw the smirking face of Ranma Blue. The Den-O belt was wrapped around his waist and the centre of the belt buckle was blue. The Rider Pass was also in his hand.

"Henshin," he smiled as he swiped the pass over the belt buckle.

"**ROD FORM!**"

The armor formed over Ranma Blue's body and then changed into the Rod Form configuration. Once it was done, Den-O RF said, "Mind if I string you along?" He then ran forward and performed a roundhouse kick that caught the Imagin in the midsection and caused it to stagger back and drop its sack, spilling the goods. "Stealing candy this time, I see," noted Den-O RF.

"Damn you!" the Robin Imagin roared and fired. His arrows were knocked away by Den-O RF's DenGasher in Rod Mode. He twirled the staff around and used it like a shield to deflect all the arrows.

"My turn," said Den-O RF once the hailstorm of arrows ended and he charged ahead. He thrust with his rod, which the Robin Imagin dodged. It seemed to have forgotten something important, though.

**WHAM!**

The Imagin was sent flying by Ifrit's fist and it crashed into the wall before landing flat on its face.

"Don't forget about us, teme," said Ifrit as he cracked his knuckles. Zeronos AF stood at his side. The green Rider then drew out his card, and flipped it over to reveal a yellow side. He flipped the switch of his belt, causing it to release a different tune.

"Deneb, let's go!" commanded Zeronos AF as Deneb exited from his body and stood behind him.

"Roger!" Deneb answered, saluting with both hands. Zeronos AF then slid the card inside his belt.

"**VEGA FORM!**"

Ifrit even swiped Loki's ticket over his belt.

"**LOKI FORM!**"

* * *

All Kotonoha needed to do was to listen for the sound of a battle taking place to find the Riders. It didn't take her long before she found the three Riders. Though Den-O and Zeronos looked different now, she could still recognise them from their belts. Even her boyfriend had entered his stronger Loki Form to use.

The Robin Imagin was being struck relentlessly by the three Riders. Zeronos VF and Ifrit LF (Loki Form)'s blades struck it violently, causing sparks to fly off. Den-O RF was even using his rod strikes along with powerful kicks.

Aiming his crossbow at one of the Riders, it fired but it just sailed harmlessly past them.

"**Hah, you missed!**" taunted Ifrit LF.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried as she watched the Robin Imagin's trick arrow turn around in the sky and head for her boyfriend's back. Before she could think, she was moving.

THIUNK!

"Unnn!" Kotonoha moaned in pain as she felt the arrow sink into her shoulder. Stumbling slightly, she fell on her side. It was then visible that the arrow had gone clean through her shoulder.

The Loki Slicer slip from Ifrit's hand and dropped to the ground as he saw the sight. "Koto…chan?" Ifrit uttered as he saw his girlfriend lying on the ground, motionless, after taking an arrow for him. Her blood was starting to stain the spot. His armor vanished. His eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated. His hands quivered as his entire body trembled.

Then, he screamed as blue flames engulfed his entire body.

Ryuji never knew how his change into an Orphenoch worked. It always happened so fast and he was always in control. But, there was also a trigger: his anger. Ryuji was always angry about something but he always kept his anger at a manageable level or else his powers would react. He didn't want to cause the next ice age or something.

The change could only be described as agonizing.

His body hunched over as grey armor plating began to cover his entire body with white fur coming out of the gaps. His hair began to lengthen and became thicker before turning white. A pair of long horns extended from his forehead as his face lengthened into a muzzle. Spikes jutted out from his forearms and shoulders. His teeth became sharp with fangs on the top and bottom jaws. His fingernails became black and sharpened into claws. The same was also happening to his toenails. His bones restructured as his legs became double jointed and he seemed more beast than human. He went down on all fours and snarled.

The strange part was that even if he transformed his clothes would still remain intact once he reverted.

The temperature had gone down several degrees at the appearance of the creature known as the Ifrit Orphenoch. He was a brutal and fatal fighter in this form, ruthless and lacking in mercy. That was why Ryuji tried so hard to NEVER turn into this beast. As much as he liked the power that went with it, the lack of control when he was mad was not worth it.

The Ifrit Orphenoch lunged forward at the Robin Imagin who'd shot the arrow and the monster never saw him coming. The Ifrit Orphenoch slashed it across the face, causing the Orphenoch to scream in pain. The Ifrit Orphenoch then turned back around to slash at the Imagin again and then he pounced upon the Imagin and began slashing at it savagely. The Imagin tried to defend itself but couldn't as the Ifrit Orphenoch continued to slash and bite at it. Sand poured out from the Imagin's wounds. The Robin Imagin shouted in agony as the Ifrit Orphenoch violently tore it apart limb from limb. Finally, he bit down on the Imagin's throat and ripped it open. The Imagin's body then dissolved into sand as a result from the killing blow.

Zeronos VF and Den-O RF were stunned by their fellow Rider's sudden change and brutality. Also, Kotonoha was hurt and losing blood. Zeronos VF ran over to help Kotonoha when all of a sudden the Ifrit Orphenoch leapt in his way and swiped at him with his claws. The Ifrit Orphenoch was on all fours, growling at Zeronos VF.

"Please, let us help her," said Zeronos VF but the Ifrit Orphenoch wasn't going to let just anyone near his mate. Ifrit Orphenoch roared as it stood over Kotonoha's body protectively, while licking her face once in a while.

"Reminds me of the Neko-ken," said Den-O RF as he watched the Ifrit Orphenoch's behaviour.

'_Urataros, we need to help get Kotonoha to a hospital!_' shouted Ranma.

"I agree, Ranma-kun, but right now there's an obstacle."

'_Then it's time for some reinforcements_,' said Ranma. Den-O RF's finger pressed the yellow button before swiping the pass over the belt.

"**AXE FORM!**"

Zeronos VF was shoved to the ground when the Ifrit Orphenoch had pounced him before trying to bite his head off. Instead, the Orphenoch bit down on the ZeroGasher which the Rider was using to hold the Ifrit Orphenoch back. The blade was being crushed between the jaws but then the Orphenoch felt someone pulling him up by the scruff of his neck and tossing him aside. The Ifrit Orphenoch landed on his feet and growled at who'd dared to interfere.

Popping his neck, Den-O AF spoke, "My strength will make you cry!" He then said to Zeronos VF, "You, get the girl to safety."

'_Do as he says, Deneb_,' commanded Tenma.

"Roger!" nodded Zeronos VF. He ran to Kotonoha's prone body and lifted her up bridal style. She was groaning in pain from the injury. "Don't worry. We'll get you there soon."

The Ifrit Orphenoch, seeing this, roared made a lunge for Zeronos VF for touching his mate but was held off by Den-O AF. "I am your opponent, and until you defeat me you shall not pass!" Roaring, the Ifrit Orphenoch roared and blasted Den-O AF with blue flames that were incredibly hot. The gold Rider stumbled back from the assault.

Still unsatisfied, the Ifrit Orphenoch struck with his forearm spikes, slashing Den-O AF across the chest. He then started to leao all around Den-O AF, striking at the Rider with claw and spike strikes.

Den-O AF rolled away from the attacking Orphenoch, aiming to get some breathing space. His opponent was indeed mighty. Perhaps that was the power of love that some people liked to talk about.

'_I'm getting tired of being thrown around!_' Momotaros' voice raged from within Den-O AF's mind.

In flashes of red, blue, and purple, Momotaros, Urataros, and Ryutaros emerged to take part in the fight.

"Oooh! Mean kitty!" Ryutaros chided.

"He is just worried about Kotonoha-chan," Urataros commented.

"Well, he picked a fight with us!" Momotaros snapped. "He's gonna get his ass kicked for that!"

A golden aura surrounded the Ifrit Orphenoch. This was the Mythical Ki he carried within. With a roar, he unleashed the full power of the destructive Mythical Ki.

* * *

Using the ZeroLiner, Tenma managed to get Kotonoha to a hospital in time. He'd carried her inside the lobby, shouting for help, and immediately got it. Right now, he was in the waiting room.

What had happened to Ryuji? That was what Tenma was wondering. He'd just turned into a monster. Just what was he?

The door to the hospital slid open and Tenma could see Ranma with his arm around Ryuji's back and Ryuji's arm over his shoulder, supporting him. Both looked worse for wear.

"Hey, Pop," said Tenma as he stood up and walked over. "What happened to you?"

"Long story, but we better sit him down somewhere," said Ranma. Tenma helped his future father carry their comrade to an empty seat and set him down.

Ryuji's eyes were lifeless and he appeared unresponsive. His fists were clenching and unclenching. Obviously, he was worried about Kotonoha.

A couple of hours later, a nurse came over to Tenma. She asked, "Were you the one who brought the girl with that arrow in her shoulder in here?" Ryuji looked up.

"Yes," nodded Tenma. "How is she?"

"Oh, she's doing fine," the nurse said. "She just needed to have the arrow removed. Luckily she didn't lose much blood and all she needed were some stitches."

"Can you tell me where she is?" asked Tenma.

"Oh, she's in room 209," the nurse said. "Do you wish to see her?"

"Yeah," Tenma nodded.

"You're a pretty dedicated boyfriend to bring her here like that," the nurse said.

Tenma denied, "No, I'm not her boyfriend. Her boyfriend is right…here?"

But Ryuji was gone.

* * *

"I'm fine now, really. The arrow didn't hit anything important. After I got stitched up I was good as new," Kotonoha assured Ryuji as he knelt down with his head down and his hands clasping Kotonoha's right one. She reached over and stroked his hair gently.

"Thank goodness," he said, relieved. He'd almost lost her. "I'm so sorry. I should've been protecting you better."

Kotonoha frowned. She wasn't going to let her boyfriend take all the guilt. "Ryuji-kun, look at me," she said. He still wouldn't look at her. She repeated, "Ryuji-kun, look at me." She then insisted, "I said look at me, please." He then looked up at her. "It's not your fault. It was that Imagin's fault."

Tenma and Ranma could see what was happening through the window on the door. Both Riders were sympathetic.

"Still, I promised to protect you and I failed," said Ryuji. "I'm an awful boyfriend."

"Don't say that," Kotonoha told him. "Like I said this isn't your fault."

"But-"

"Not another word."

Sighing, Ryuji stood up. "OK. I'll let you get some rest." He then walked to the door and exited the room.

Outside, Ryuji slammed his fist against the wall and cried. "Damn it."

"You know, it isn't really manly to cry," said Ranma. Ryuji turned to glare at him.

"I'm not in the mood, Saotome," growled Ryuji.

"Hey, I just came to talk and maybe listen. I really want to know what happened back there," said Ranma.

"I lost control," Ryuji answered simply.

"I get that but what was that?" Ranma asked, referring to the Ifrit Orphenoch.

Ryuji turned and leaned against the wall. He looked Ranma in the eye. "OK, I'll give you the abridged version: I'm an Orphenoch, a human that rose from the dead because of a special gene we have. As a result, we become stronger, faster and gain sharper senses, but also at a cost." He paused, "Our DNA is unstable and eventually we break down. I'm one of the lucky ones so I'm still alive."

"Woah," Ranma blinked. And he thought Imagin were weird. Rising from the dead? Only Saffron had done so.

"Well, I hate it," confessed Ryuji. "That…thing I turn into just reminds me that I'm not human. It reminds me that I'm just an evil monster. A freak"

Ranma sighed, "Ryuji, you're not a monster nor are you evil as far as I can see."

"You don't know anything about me," Ryuji shot back with a glare.

"But I do know enough to say that you're neither a monster nor evil. You just got angry and lost control," Ranma said. "Trust me, I know what it's like to lose control."

"The Neko-ken, right? The other you mentioned that," said Ryuji.

"Yeah, and as for being a freak, take a look at me." Ranma pointed to himself, "Half the time I'm a girl!"

Ryuji had to admit Ranma had a point but he wasn't going to admit it. Ranma was also showing some surprising amount of insight.

"But even if we have a bunch of stuff in common, you have something I don't," said Ranma.

"Rugged good looks?" joked Ryuji. Ranma frowned.

"Glad you didn't lose your sense of humour, but no." Ranma pointed to the door. "You got her, a girl that loves you and doesn't see you as anything else than who you are. That's what got me feeling a bit jealous." Ranma finished, "And that girl needs you right now just like you need her, and you know that, don't you?"

Ryuji didn't answer. Instead, he walked towards the door and pushed it open before walking inside.

"KOTONOHA!" a new voice cried loudly.

"Huh?" Ranma blinked while he turned to the source of the disturbance. It turned out to be a bunch of teens with some of them he recognized. Tenma, however, recognised them all from the School Days game he played.

"Hey, you're all friends of Kotonoha?" asked Ranma, stopping the group.

"Yes!" the lead girl nodded rapidly. Ranma recognized her as the one waitress Urataros hadn't been able to flirt with in the restaurant. "I got a call about what happened to her! Is she okay?" Sekai was feeling really worried and guilty. She knew this had something to do with the wish she'd made with the Robin Imagin.

"She's fine," Ranma answered. "She's just having a moment with Ryuji. I suggest not interrupting them."

Taisuke seemed to agree with this, albeit a little fearfully. He knew very well not to interrupt any tender moments Ryuji and Kotonoha were sharing.

Meanwhile, inside, both Kotonoha and Ryuji were locked in a deep and passionate kiss before they touched their foreheads and noses together, just gazing into each other's eyes lovingly.

* * *

Setsuna had seen a lot of weird things since she'd seen the Riders for herself but nothing prepared her for what she'd seen. Ryuji…wasn't human. How could that be? That just cemented her theory that he could be an alien in human disguise but he acted more like an animal than anything else. Almost like a monster.

Luckily, that other Rider, along with his monster partners, had been able to subdue Ryuji and bring him to his senses. Still, after what she'd seen, she wondered about the truth behind the Riders.

When she'd witnessed Kotonoha taking an arrow for Ifrit/Ryuji, she knew how far that girl would go to protect the one she loved. It would seem that Ryuji's change had been triggered by Kotonoha getting herself hurt. Such a thing must've pushed his anger to the breaking point. She could tell from the way he'd torn that other creature apart. She had to be careful and not make Ryuji angry…well, angrier.

When she did some more research, she discovered that Ryuji had turned into that same creature several months ago but it'd been explained to be caused by one of those monsters possessing him. Now, Setsuna knew that was a lie. She knew the truth about Ryuji.

But what was she going to do with such information?

* * *

A couple of days later, Tenma and Ranma were heading back to their timeline. While they had all the time in the universe because of their trains, they didn't want to slack off. Besides, Ranma had been gone most of the day before he left to fight Gaoh. His family was probably thinking he ran off with one of the other fiancées.

"Too bad we couldn't see whose train was better," Ryuji snickered.

"Next time," Ranma grinned, "Next time we'll see."

Tenma sighed. "Pop, we gotta get going."

"Bye bye Kokoro-chan!" Ranko smiled as she hugged Kotonoha's little sister. "I hope to see you again!"

"Me too!" Kokoro smiled.

"It was nice having you all here," Kotonoha smiled. "I'm sorry to see you all leave so soon."

"Hey, the food was good and so was the company," Ranma shrugged. "I'm happy enough to relax."

"GOOODBYE, FRIEND!" Loki sobbed.

"FAREWELL!" Deneb cried equally.

Deneb and Loki were hugging and crying their goodbyes. They had gotten along marvellously and hated to say goodbye. Loki had taken up candy making while Deneb had gotten his cookie recipes a boost.

"Enough already!" Ryuji snapped. "It's not like we can't visit them!"

"But, Ryuji!" Loki whined. "It's always sad to say goodbye to a friend!"

"For the love of-!" Ryuji huffed.

Ranma and Tenma both laughed. The Rider from the future then decided to cut things short, "Well, we'd better get going though. Time waits for no one, not even us."

"True," Ryuji sighed.

With a final goodbye, Ranma, Tenma, and the crying Deneb vanished through a door to the Sands of Time. Ryuji sighed and turned to head to the kitchen for something to eat. As he was moving, his foot caught on something. Looking down, he found a plastic container for a computer game disc. His eyes widened when he saw his girlfriend and the other girls of School Days on the front cover.

"So this is that game huh?" Ryuji frowned as he looked it over. "Well, might as well see what freaked him out so much."

* * *

Later….

"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL THAT PERV!"

**

* * *

**

**ZK Chromedragozoid:** I'd like to thank Shadow Element 13 for editing and Ten-Faced Paladin for lending me his characters.

GaroLiner Hunters Imagin list

**Okami, the Fierce Black Wolf**

Hot blooded, arrogant, and quick tempered, Okami the Wolf Imagin was the first Imagin to work with Kenzaki. He was originally the partner of Gou Tsukuba, the FIRST Garoh. When Gou was killed by the Multiversal serial killer Gog, he made his wish that Okami look after Kenzaki, establishing him as the second Garoh. He fights using a scimitar. When working with Kenzaki, he forms Hunter Form.

Introductory Line: "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?"

**Byakko, the Honorable White Tiger**

Honorable and a martial artist, Byakko is obsessed with the basics of martial arts. He was saved by the original Garoh when ambushed by a large group of Imagin. Afterward, Byakko swore to serve Garoh. He met with Kenzaki when the now new Garoh was hunting down a bounty. He was given a solid body when Kenzaki wished for him to help save Neko. His main weapons are his fists and feet, but he is also armed with an axe. When working with Kenzaki, he forms Predator Form.

Introductory Line: "Remember the basics! My fists will crush your spirit!"

**Raion, the Raging Golden Lion**

An avid fan of rock music and prone to fits of blind rage when in combat, Raion is the youngest of Kenzaki's Imagin partners. He met Kenzaki at a rock concert to help fight an Imagin. He was given a solid body when Kenzaki wished for him to help save Neko. His main weapon is his naginata. When working with Kenzaki, he forms Rampage Form.

Introductory Line: "Let's turn up the volume! The music is just starting!"

**Buraki, the Savage Crimson Imoogi**

A ruthless and dishonest fighter, Buraki is the deadliest of Kenzaki's partners. Completely the opposite when out of battle, Buraki goofs off and is highly perverted, which constantly puts him at odds with the honorable Byakko. He accidentally possessed Kenzaki at the beach. He was given a solid body when Kenzaki wished for him to help save Neko. His main weapon is a flamethrower that takes the form of a shotgun, firing flame bullets. When working with Kenzaki, Buraki forms Savage Form.

Introductory Line: "Everything burns, let me light the fire."


	16. Bad Publicity Stunts

Miyako Serizawa was once again finishing another article for the next issue of the Sakakino Star. Since she began writing pieces about the Kamen Rider, she'd gained some fame. Some of her co-workers praised her and even a few were jealous of her. They wanted to know where she got her sources from but she was keeping a tight lip about it.

Miyako was actually grateful to have befriended both Ryuji and Kotonoha. Because of them she was actually a successful reporter like she'd dreamed of becoming. Even if Ryuji did find her annoying, she knew that deep down he did care about her. Miyako also liked Kotonoha and wondered if the girl would be interested in an internship in the near future. Ryuji, of course, was Miyako's meal ticket. She could expose him but then it would be all over for him and her. Besides, she liked the kid too.

Yawning, Miyako saved her work on both her computer and flash drive. She would print it out and submit to her boss tomorrow. Now she just needed to sleep.

* * *

"**BAD PUBLICITY STUNTS"**

* * *

And once again, Kamen Rider Ifrit had made the first page of the newspaper. Ryuji didn't quite care for the fame. He could actually do without it. All the merchandizing pretty much irked him but he did smile when he saw Kokoro cuddling with a stuffed Ifrit doll. Even Kotonoha had one.

He was actually half listening as Otome went on about something she'd read in the Sakakino Star magazine. There was another story on the Kamen Riders in it and Ryuji knew it had been written by Miyako. Who else would've written something about the Kamen Riders in Sakakino Star?

The mystery of Ifrit's identity was still the talk of school. Girls wanted to know what he looked like under the mask while boys wanted to be able to talk to him out of admiration as well. Ryuji just kept silent. It would be too much of a hassle.

Anyway, a few 1st years had joined the school's Kamen Rider Fanclub. Ryuji wondered if almost everyone was turning into Kamen Rider Otaku.

"What I'd like to know is how this reporter gets information on the Riders," Otome commented. The latest issue had comments about the Red Rider and the Green Rider that had appeared a couple of days ago. "Maybe she can tell us who Ifrit is."

"Don't count on it," Ryuji sighed. "He's her biggest earner. If she knew who he was then she probably isn't going to reveal it unless she wants to give up all the exclusives that she keeps getting with him."

"But inquiring minds want to know!" Otome cried. "Dozens of girls out there want to know about Ifrit so badly! We deserve to know who our hero is!"

"And he has a right to protecting his identity," Kotonoha argued. "A lot of people want to get a hold of Ifrit and hold him responsible for damages done during his fights. The contractors seem to be his biggest fans though."

"Well, he does give them a lot of work," Makoto shrugged.

Ryuji had to agree with Makoto. His battles often caused collateral damage, especially when the Imagin turned into Gigandeath. But, he didn't have a choice when that happened. The people angry at his alter-ego for causing some damage to avoid bigger damage were just being ungrateful. He was tasked with defending this timeline so he was going to do it the way he saw fit.

"Anyway, did you all check out his new train?" Otome asked. "I mean I always thought his old one was cool but this one was..." Otome couldn't find the words for it.

"I heard some toy companies are thinking of distributing models based on those trains," said Taisuke.

Ryuji grimaced. His DynoLiner as a model? Well, he had to admit that his new time train was an awesome sight to behold. Any kid, or otaku, would want to have them. The Kamen Rider action figures were also something else. Still, he wished they had asked him for permission and paid him for using his image but doing so would mean exposing his identity.

Setsuna was also giving her opinion, "Have any of you ever wondered where the Kamen Riders come from and where they go or what they do when they aren't fighting monsters?"

Ryuji gave Setsuna a look as she stared back impassively.

"Well, a lot of fans are wondering about who the Riders are," said Sekai.

"They need lives," snorted Kenzaki.

Vash put in his own two cents, "But, you gotta admit that anyone would absolutely kill for that kind of info."

"Not literally, hopefully," said Neko.

* * *

Cathy was in class and sitting next to Bobby. She too had gotten a copy of the Sakakino Star but was pointing at pictures of her mama's Rider form.

Cathy Wilson was a mutant with some cat-like physical traits likes slitted eyes and a tail. She also could turn invisible. She'd recently learnt how to turn parts of her body invisible and used that ability on her tail to hide it. Her chin length hair hid her pointed ears and people didn't really notice her slitted pupils.

Bobby Clawson, on the other hand, was created by Libra. His previous job had been to protect Terra during the end of the Zodiac War but he'd been cruelly killed by Damien. Thankfully, Ryuki's wish had also revived him along with his brothers Joseph, Raymond and Shawn. Now, he was one of the Saint Beasts of Libra and partner of Kat, granting her the power to become Kamen Rider CopyKat and he could transform into Byakko No Gai to aid her in battle.

"She looks so cool, doesn't she?" smiled Cathy as she saw her mother with her axes.

"Tell me about it," agreed Bobby. He knew his partner could be photogenic. The magazine also had pictures of a few other Riders who'd shown up before like Fang, Den-O and Zeronos. Bobby laughed at a part of the article referring to Ryukendo as male. Miyako knew Ryukendo was female after Ryuji let it slip but still she did this on purpose to protect their identities.

"Is that the newest issue of Sakakino Star?" asked one of the students who spotted them.

"Yup!" Cathy smiled. "It has pictures of the newest Riders too!"

"Neat!" grinned another student. "Lemme see!"

"Me too!" cried another.

Several students crowded around the pair as they began reading the articles on the newest Riders to have been seen. Cathy watched in pride as people read about her mama. She was also filled with pride as her auntie and uncle were given attention, but her mama was the best. Bobby just took the admiration in stride.

* * *

In Kat's class, the same thing was happening too. The Rider of the White Tiger could only grin proudly as she listened to the praises of admiration being showered upon her secret identity. If only they knew that the Kamen Riders were their fellow students. Well, sadly, Kat couldn't really reveal her identity. As much as she would like for people to kneel and bow at her feet, such fame would be a hassle for Ryuji and the others. Besides, they were Riders to help protect people and not for the fame. The fame was just a bonus as well as the credits Ryuji was paid for each Imagin he killed.

"Can you believe the kind of firepower the Riders are packing?" Hikari asked as she pointed at a picture of the giant monster battle where the ChronoLiner, DynoLiner, and Byakko No Gai fought against the Gigandeath in the city. "I mean I knew they were powerful but these guys are packing some serious heat."

"Well, can you blame them?" asked Kat. "They have to fight a giant monster on occasion so they need to have the same power to match up against it."

"Still," Hikari frowned, "A lot of damage was done to the city.

Rose agreed, "True, they did kind of wreck the place." Kat frowned. Rose added, "But, if they didn't fight that giant monster then they city would've been completely destroyed and a lot of people could be killed and hurt."

"Collateral damage happens, Hikari," said Nanami to her friend. "And the Riders do try their best to make sure nobody get hurt."

"I guess you're right," Hikari sighed. "My family's store almost got wrecked so I'm a bit upset."

"Sorry about that," said Kat apologetically but Hikari assumed it was out of sympathy.

Kat had become an official member of the girls' basketball team. Though they hadn't participated in a match yet, Nanami could see Kat's potential and knew she could help them win. She could jump higher than any one of them and had incredible reflexes. Also, Nanami noticed how Kat was like her brother except instead of scowling as she beat a person up she smiled in a pretty disturbing way.

Not too long ago, the Karate Club had demanded use of the gym but the basketball team was using it. Kat decided to solve the problem her own way. Nanami knew that Kat was tough but she never expected her to be as tough as Ryuji. Then again, both had similar backgrounds as martial artists so she shouldn't had been surprised. It still didn't change the fact that she and the rest of the girls in the basketball had their eyes wide and jaws dropped as they watched Kat laughing maniacally as she beat up all the Karate Club members. She fought violently and dirty but in the end she was the one still standing and the Karate Club members were all sprawled on the floor. It was an insult since the ones she'd fought were black belts and Kat admitted she never took a test to see her ranking as a martial artist nor she cared.

Yes, Nanami had to admit Kat was a bit strange but she was a good friend when she counted. Still, could Kat lay off fondling their breasts and just fondle her girlfriend's breasts?

Nanami wondered if every member of Kat's family were violent fighters by nature. It sure showed in her and Ryuji.

* * *

"Good work, Serizawa-san," said Miyako's editor-in-chief. "Your latest article on the Riders is making our latest issue sell like hot cakes."

"Thanks, sir," Miyako smiled. Finally, thanks to Ryuji, she finally got the respect she deserved. Maybe she could get Ryuji and his girl a treat. She did have the money after the pay raise.

"I do hope you can write more articles like this," Miyako's boss said.

"Oh, you can count on it," winked Miyako. As long as Ryuji provided her some info, she would be writing more and more on the Riders. These new Riders that showed up were also helping her career.

Of course, Miyako also helped Ryuji. Sometimes she would reveal recent Imagin attacks to Ryuji when his watch didn't detect them. She did prove to be a great ally and was entrusted with the secret of Ifrit's identity.

As she left her editor's office, she was confronted by Matsuda. The guy had a gut, was balding and rarely shaved. He was the type of guy who would do anything for a news story. Of course, his methods nearly ruined the credibility of the magazine. He was also divorced since he was an alcoholic and his wife couldn't take it and left him. Matsuda now wrote small columns in the magazine.

Matsuda didn't have much respect for women either and seeing Miyako gaining fame just pissed him off that a woman got a chance to cover the Kamen Riders. It should be him, not her!

Of course, Matsuda's opinion of the Riders was poor. Actually, he was pretty bitter with them. To be precise, he hated them. His car ended up getting crushed during those giant battles that would take place and even his house was nearly destroyed. Because of that, he'd been writing slandering articles and selling them to local tabloids for some extra cash.

"So, another successful story on the Riders," sneered Matsuda. "Congratulations."

Miyako rolled her eyes. She never liked Matsuda, especially after he'd groped her behind several years back. "Out of my way, Matsuda. I'm busy."

"I just want a word," Matsuda spoke up, cutting her off. "I'm a little shocked that you're getting such exclusives about the Riders. How do you do it?"

"I don't reveal my sources," Miyako answered.

"But since you have such information about them, you must have some inkling about their identities," Matsuda pressed. "Biggest mystery in town is who these people are."

"I did some digging," Miyako answered. "They cover their tracks pretty darn well though."

Matsuda wasn't buying it entirely. His female co-worker knew something about the Riders and she wasn't telling. She had the key to the most lucrative story in Tokyo and she was keeping it quiet. If it were him, he would have exposed them in a heartbeat. Maybe it would teach those costumed yahoos to act like responsible people and get real jobs. Leave the monsters to the police and the JSDF. It was what they paid taxes for, wasn't it?

* * *

While Ryuji was being tested yet again by the KLLA, Kotonoha decided to go and look for a certain someone that could help her.

"Kat-san?" Kotonoha called and Kat stopped in her tracks. She turned on her heels to look at who'd addressed her.

"Oh, it's you, Kotonoha," said Kat with a smile. "What's up?"

"I need…" Kotonoha began but hesitated, "I need…" She then blurted it out, "I need you to train me!"

"Train you? As in train you to fight?" Kat asked, surprised by the odd request. Kotonoha nodded in response. "Isn't Ryuji training you?"

"He is, but I know he's taking it easy on me. I know he loves me but I don't want him to give me any special treatment," explained Kotonoha.

"He pulls his punches, huh?" Kat guessed. "Well, he doesn't want you getting hurt."

"But I really want to help him! Every time I watch him go fight, I'm afraid he might get killed one day!" Kotonoha cried. Kat sighed and walked closer to Kotonoha before pulling the girl into a hug, surprising her.

"I can understand how you feel," said Kat. "You want to be of some use to the people you love and want to be strong for them just as they want to be strong for you."

"So, you'll help me?" Kotonoha asked hopefully.

Kat stepped back and ran a hand through her long hair. "He's going to kill me for this," she muttered. She then spoke aloud, "I'll see what I can do. I do hope you're prepared for anything, Kotonoha." Kat winked before turning around and walking away.

The reason Kotonoha has asked for Kat's help was because she knew the Rider of Byakko could keep this a secret. She couldn't ask Neko or Kenzaki knowing they may tell Ryuji. Also, Kat wouldn't hold back in training her. With that in mind, Kotonoha mentally prepared herself to become Kat's pupil.

Kotonoha could remember every battle Ryuji had been in and every wound he'd collected in those battles. She would treat them, despite his protests as he could heal fast. Still, he allowed her to dress his wounds because she insisted that she wanted to help in some way. Now, she wanted a more active role and if becoming a Rider did that then she would become a Kamen Rider.

The urge to become a Rider for her had awakened the day she'd first assumed the form of Kamen Rider Athena. She could feel the power inside her, awakened by Athena, and she felt she could do almost anything. That had been the day she decided to become a Rider herself.

She knew Ryuji was reluctant but he still trained her nonetheless. She needed a way to defend herself as well as learn how to wield her dozuki better. Surprisingly, she was a natural at using the weapon, especially during her brief psychotic episodes.

She would be strong for him. She was not going to let what'd happened before repeat itself.

* * *

_The Cactus Imagin pierced Ifrit's body with flying needles. He shouted out in pain. Then, it leveled its spear at the Rider. It then tossed it, watching as it soared through the air before impaling the black armored Kamen Rider._

"_ARGH!" Ifrit screamed as the spear went through his armor and his body. Kotonoha gasped in horror as she watched the black and blue Rider fall to his knees with blood dripping from the wound. The Cactus Imagin stalked forward with another spear and prepared to skewer Ifrit with it._

"_Sayonara, Kamen Rider," the Cactus Imagin chuckled as it aimed its spear at Ifrit._

"_Yamette!" Kotonoha shouted, drawing out her dozuki. She took the Imagin by surprise and swung down with her weapon, slicing off the hand that was holding the spear. The Imagin screamed in outrage and backhanded the girl roughly in the face, tossing her across the ground. Kotonoha lay on the ground, in pain, but pushed herself back up._

"_Damn bitch," the Imagin growled but then its body stiffened as the sound of sharp steel running through flesh could be heard. The Imagin looked down to see Ifrit's sword protruding out of its stomach. "W…what?"_

_Ifrit was standing behind the Imagin, holding the Ifrit Dao. "Urusei. Don't call my girl a bitch, teme," Ifrit growled weakly. He then focused his ice powers through the sword. The Imagin could feel its body freeze from the inside out but was powerless to stop the process. Soon, it was frozen solid. Ifrit let go of the sword and with a shout of, "Hyah!" swung his leg up performed a roundhouse to shatter the Imagin's frozen body._

_Reaching down, Ifrit gripped the shaft of the spear and pulled at it. It was slow and agonizing but he endured as he slowly slid the bloodied spear out from his body. He dropped the weapon down at his feet before walking towards Kotonoha, stumbling with each step._

"_Ryuji…kun?" Kotonoha questions as she watched her wounded boyfriend approach her. His armor vanished as he reached her before he fell to his knees. The needles which had embedded themselves inside his chest, arms and legs had fallen away with his armor. Blood was dripping off his chin and running from his mouth. Then, blue flames ignited around his wound, sealing it._

"_Thank goodness you're alright. Promise me…you won't ever do something…so stupid, again…" Ryuji said weakly before his eyes slid close and he collapsed onto the ground._

* * *

With Athena and Loki's help, Ryuji had been brought back to his apartment. Quickly, Kotonoha had started to treat his injuries. The hole in his body had disappeared but he still had cuts and bruises. Despite the fact his healing factor would take care of those, she still wanted to treat his injuries. After being so useless in combat, she might as well be useful elsewhere.

Since then she'd been forced to watch helplessly as Ryuji fought the Imagin threat. She wasn't going to allow it anymore. One way or another she was going to fight as a Kamen Rider.

* * *

"Damn idiots," Ryuji cursed as he walked away from the KLLA members who were sprawled all over the ground or piled up on each other in pain after the beating he'd administered on them. Some even had makeshift weapons like hockey sticks and baseballs bats. Yet, even armed, they still fell short. This was their idea of testing Ryuji to see if he was strong enough to protect Kotonoha. As much as they meant well, some of them still thought Ryuji wasn't strong enough to protect Kotonoha. Ryuji sure showed them.

He heard the click of a camera phone and turned to see Miyako Serizawa standing there with her cell phone and taking pictures with it. "You really don't show much mercy, do you?" she asked.

"Not really," he shrugged. "So, what are you doing here, Serizawa?"

"Can't I visit a friend during my lunch break?" she responded.

"With you, there's always a catch," he huffed. "So, what is it this time? Exclusive pictures of the Kamen Riders or something?"

"Oh, nothing of the sort," said Miyako, "I just want you giving me a story about a few of your past battles and maybe some info on those trains."

"Maybe later," Ryuji remarked. "Right now I gotta go see Kotonoha on the roof for lunch." He pointed to the unconscious KLLA members. "These guys were holding me up."

"Did they do something to piss you off or something?" Miyako asked.

"Just being annoying assholes again," Ryuji frowned. "It's a long story."

"Well, tell me about it," Miyako whipped out a tape recorder, "Maybe I can write about it."

"No comment," Ryuji told her. "Now, if there's nothing else, I want to go and see my girlfriend."

"Then I'll come with you," Miyako said cheerfully.

Rolling his eyes, Ryuji said, "Sure, whatever. Follow me."

* * *

Matsuda peered around the corner to see Miyako talking to some kid. It didn't make much sense to him, but then again, she was the sentimental softie type who stayed in contact with some of her interviewees. Unprofessional in his opinion, but nothing he could do about it. He had been following the female reporter around in hopes that she would reveal the source of her information on the Kamen Riders. If she did, Matsuda was going to expose their asses so fast they would think it was an act of God.

* * *

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha smiled as she was her approaching boyfriend. She was pleasantly surprised to see Miyako with him as well, "And Serizawa-san! Konichiwa!"

"Hey, Kotonoha-san," smiled Miyako as she waved. "How have you been?"

"I've been well," smiled Kotonoha.

"Of course you have," said Miyako teasingly, "You're living under the same roof with your own 'knight in shining armor'." She glanced at Ryuji a bit before correcting her statement, "Or would 'dark knight' be more appropriate?"

Ryuji frowned, "Just sit down and get to the point. I don't want to waste whatever time I got for a lunch." He sat down under the tree Kotonoha had chosen for them to have lunch at. He grabbed a sandwich Kotonoha had made and took a bite out of it before chewing.

"OK, well," Miyako began as she too sat down, "There's this jerk at work harassing me about the info I get about the Riders. It's like he wants to steal my sources."

"That doesn't sound very nice," Kotonoha gave her opinion.

"Matsuda isn't known to be nice," sighed Miyako.

"You weren't exactly an angel either when you were trying to find out about the Riders either, remember?" Ryuji reminded.

"But at least I made an effort to change," huffed Miyako. "Matsuda is basically a dirty reporter. Heck, I've heard he's been selling some of his stories to tabloids."

"Never read them," said Ryuji. "It's bullshit to me."

"Good for you, but I've heard he has a beef against the Riders," said Miyako. "Blaming them for everything going wrong with his life."

"But why?" Kotonoha asked.

"Scapegoat," said Ryuji. "Some people don't want to admit that they are wrong or even take responsibility for their own lives. They just want someone else to blame for their problems."

"Well, Matsuda's basically goes on and on about how the Riders are frauds, phonies and costumed weirdoes playing hero," admitted Miyako, "Of course he was drunk at the time…"

"When a person is drunk they lose their inhibitions," said Ryuji, "Brutally honest when they are like that too." He glanced at Kotonoha. "You believe me, right?"

Kotonoha blushed, remembering when she'd been drunk a month ago. "H-hai."

"So, is this guy a threat?" Ryuji asked, narrowing his eyes.

Miyako gave Ryuji a suspicious look, "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

Flashing a feral grin, Ryuji answered, "What do you think?"

Miyako felt like praying for Matsuda. People who pissed off Ryuji never got away unharmed. And when he smiled like that, Ryuji was pretty scary.

* * *

Kat and Rose both walked out of the sports equipment storage shed while fixing their clothing. Kat was combing a hand through her messed up hair as Rose did the same with her cheeks flushed. Kat hugged her platinum haired girlfriend from behind, rubbing her cheek against Rose's.

"That was a great way to spend lunch," purred Kat.

"Yes, it was," Rose smiled wistfully. They had done a lot of things in there. "But aren't you hungry?"

"Oh, I am," smirked Kat, "I'm hungry for you."

Rose rolled her eyes, "I meant for food."

"Does it include me eating stuff off you?"

"No."

"Damn," pouted Kat. She continued to hold her Rose.

"Hey, who's that?" asked Rose as she pointed ahead.

The subject of Rose's pointing was a middle-aged guy who didn't look too well. His hair, which looked fake, was messy and he appeared to not have bathed in a while. He was fiddling with some kind of equipment which Kat recognized as used for listening in on conversations. Frowning, Kat spied that he was trying to listen in on Ryuji, Kotonoha, and their lady reporter friend.

"Oh, he's going to get an ass-kicking," Kat growled. "No one listens in on Otouto-chan but me!"

"Wait," Rose sighed as she grabbed her girlfriend's shoulder. "We don't want another lawsuit."

"Suppose he listens in on Rider stuff?" Kat hissed.

"Which is why my plan is better," Rose smirked. Stepping forward, she took a deep breath before unleashing a cry. "EEEEEEK! PERVERT!"

The middle-aged wanna-be spy flinched and looked up to see Rose pointing at him in shock and revulsion. It wasn't even a split second later before dozens of girls wielding makeshift weapons were surrounding him.

"Oh, crap," Matsuda gulped.

* * *

Matsuda limped away from the school while using a stick to maintain balance. He was all bruised up from those girls hitting him over and over again with broomsticks and whatever they had on hand. "Damn it," he cursed beneath his breath.

At least he'd learnt that Miyako would meet with those kids occasionally. Maybe he could learn about them himself?

* * *

Miyako sighed as she sat in her desk the next day. No rest for the weary. Her boss wanted another article about the Riders so she would have to go beg Ryuji for some information. Maybe another Imagin would appear soon and she would have something better to ask about. He was always vague about Rider origins, but was always willing to explain why an Imagin went on the rampage or who the newest Riders on the block were.

"Hmm," she pondered. "Maybe I should do a deeper article on Den-O and Zeronos. Those two didn't get along with him too well."

Reaching down to her file drawer, she blinked when she realized that the lock was broken. Swiftly opening the drawer, she saw that all of her files had been ransacked. Each and every one of them had been searched.

Luckily, Miyako had been prepared for this so she only kept notes and old articles in her drawer. Her important files were in an undisclosed location. Most importantly, her files and notes about the Riders and the Imagin.

"Matsuda," Miyako growled. She had checked her notes and only things connected to the Riders were missing. The notes went missing the day after Matsuda started taking an interest in her sources. It was too much of a coincidence. "I better call them."

* * *

"A spy?" asked Warren.

"That's what Rosie-chan and I saw," said Kat. "I liked it when Rose screamed out there was a pervert." She snickered. She loved how her girlfriend was so creative.

Only the Riders were present in this meeting. It was after school at the staff room.

Kenzaki frowned, "So, do you know who he was spying on?"

"Him," Kat jabbed a thumb at Ryuji. "And he looked like a really dirty and sleazy guy."

"Like some of the people you hang out with?" Kenzaki quipped, knowing well of Kat's criminal past. She responded with a cat-like hiss.

"He was spying on Koto-chan, Serizawa and me?" questioned Ryuji. "Damn it." His senses must've been going dull.

"But what about?" asked Neko.

"Don't know, but it can't be good," frowned Warren.

"Actually…" Ryuji began, "Serizawa did tell me something about this guy where she worked." He then told them what he knew.

"OK, a guy like that is going to be trouble," spoke Neko.

"Heh, we can handle it," scoffed Kat. "We've handled worse."

"Still, it's best we be careful," advised Warren. "A lot is at stake here and we can't let someone like that expose our identities."

"Cheh, whatever."

"_You_don't have a family to look after. I do. Rae can defend herself, but my kids can't. If push comes to shove, I'll deal with this guy personally," said Warren.

"If that guy becomes trouble," said Kat with a grin and her eyes flashing red, "I can take care of him."

"You mean kill him, don't you?" asked Ryuji.

"Or something along those lines," she continued to grin like a psycho.

"Count me in," volunteered Ryuji. If this guy exposed him, then Kotonoha would suffer as well as he didn't want that to happen.

"Me too," Neko raised her hand.

"Neko!" Kenzaki looked shocked.

"Family sticks together, Ken-kun," Neko reasoned. "We fight together, eat together, and kill together…"

"You're having a bad influence on her," Kenzaki accused Kat.

"We did share the same body for a while," Kat shrugged.

"OK, let's not get extreme, people," said Warren. "Let's just watch him. If he finds out too much let's just erase his memories."

"Or kill him," chimed in Kat.

* * *

Vash was walking home from school while nursing a red handprint on his cheek. "Was it something I said?" he muttered as he hissed from the stinging sensation. "Well, at least I can just sleep it off." He whistled as he continued on his way back. Tomorrow was another day and maybe next time he could actually find a girl who would date him. All he had to do was use new pickup lines that DIDN'T get him slapped.

Vash had the strangest feeling that he was being followed. He tried to ignore it but there it was. He continued walking and yet the feeling was still there. He reached into his pocket and then pulled out his gun before whirling around to shoot at whatever it was that was following him…only to find that it was a cat. He let out a breath of relief as he pocketed his gun before squatting down. "Hey, little kitty," he said. "Are you hungry?" He reached over to pet it but suddenly the cat hissed and then let out a snarl before jumping at his face. "ARGH!!!" Vash screamed and flailed about as the cat clawed at his face and then it leapt away and ran as Vash started shooting at it with rubber bullets. "Yeah, you better run you stupid hairball!!!" screamed Vash.

Vash's reason for being on this world was because Warren had asked him to be Ryuji's backup. How he was to do that was never really explained until that fateful day.

* * *

_Alone and lying face up on the ground was Kamen Rider Ifrit. His swords were within reach but the Imagin had its foot planted on his chest and pushing him further down into the floor. The evil Tapir Imagin was chuckling with glee as it used its immense weight to crush the Rider. "So long, Rider!" the Imagin laughed._

_Suddenly, a shot rang through the air as a window shattered before a bullet struck the Tapir Imagin upside the head, stunning it for a second and causing it to remove its foot off Ifrit. "Who did that!?" the Imagin demanded. Several shots were fired and broke more windows. They hit their mark on the Imagin, annoying it further. It whirled around, shouting, "I'm warning you!"_

"_**FULL CHARGE!**__"_

"_Huh? URK!" the Tapir Imagin let out before its entire body froze over in ice via Ifrit's Cold Snap attack. Ifrit's swords were in his hands and he'd used them to perform his finisher._

_The shots once again echoed through the air and struck the frozen Imagin. The brittle ice cold body cracked before finally shattering and collapsing at Ifrit's feet. Ifrit turned his head to look at where the shots had come from and gave a thumbs up._

_Up above a nearby rooftop was Vash with a sniper rifle in hand as he looked through a scope. He returned the gesture with a thumbs up of his own._

* * *

Vash recalled that day fondly. His job was to help Ifrit whenever he was in a pinch. He would snipe at the Imagin from afar. Sure rubber bullets didn't do much damage but at the right speed they could stun/annoy an Imagin long enough for Ifrit to finish it off. Worked well with normal people to and since they were made of rubber they were non-fatal.

* * *

Matsuda growled as he plowed through his sake storage. None of Miyako's notes had anything good about the Riders. They were just notes on names, where they showed up, and what they could do. There was no dirt on them or hints abut who they really were. Either Miyako had files elsewhere, or she wasn't even trying to find out the identities of the Riders.

"Story of a lifetime and she isn't trying to cash in," Matsuda grunted. "Women have no sense."

As he was busy trying to get drunk, Matsuda didn't notice a yellow orb coming down from the sky and apparently targeting him.

* * *

The next day, Kat was in class, bored out of her mind. The teacher in front was giving a lecture but all Kat could hear was, "blah, blah, blah, blah…" Rose was diligently taking notes like a good student. Kat envied her for that. Rose was so much smarter than she was and prettier. She could see how boys found the platinum haired girl attractive and Kat found herself getting angry at these boys for even daring to look at her Rosie-chan. She was hers and only hers! Those boys should back off her lover!

It's been close to a month since she first arrived in this world after a fight with Rose and now Rose and Cathy had joined her. Being here was a good vacation from all the chaos back in Jump City. The Titans and the other Riders there could handle the villains and GIN-SHOCKER. They didn't need her. She only ever fought whenever her interests were at stake.

Being here meant being normal for a change. It was fun t act normal but only for so long. She was starting to get bored. An Imagin hadn't attacked in weeks and she wanted so much to go out and fight like a crazy she-devil. She…needed…EXCITEMENT!

Looking around the class, she imagined all the girls sporting cat ears and tails. It would be so cute…

Wait a minute. Didn't she still have that ray gun from last time?

Kat grinned. Oh, she'd just found the solution that would end her boredom and make normal school life for interesting…

* * *

A year previously back in her world, Kat had this ingenious plan to take over the city. She was going to use Slade's robot soldiers, put cat ears and tails on them, reprogram them to act like cats and start causing random amounts of chaos just to see what would happen. The police had been up to their necks in cat-bot trouble and so the Titans had been dispatched to take care of it. Safe to say, even when the Slade-catbots had given a good fight, the Titans still won.

Kat may not have been as evil as she had been in the past but she was still evil for the sake of evil. She loved her beloved Slade-sama and wanted to make him proud. What better way than to take over the city? So, the first plan didn't go too well but her second one had been great. Oh, sure, they called her mad, crazy and insane but those were compliments. Mostly Grant told her that it would never work but she ignored him like always. The idea had come to her while smoking a roll of catnip.

It was so simple, so amazing and so…CUTE!

Catgirls! An army of loyal brainwashed catgirls! All she needed to do was get a ray gun which would modify a girl's DNA to give them cat ears, tails, and would also brainwash them into liking it. Also, give them cute little maid outfits.

The Cat Ear Gang had been born.

Nobody dared to stop them because the catgirls were just innocent pawns and yet because of that Kat had successfully taken over the city. She'd even set sights on turning the Titans girls into catgirls and any other female superhero to add to her clique. She'd laughed gleefully at the prospect of them serving her every need without question.

Unfortunately for her, the Titans had stopped her. There happened to be a reverse switch on her gun and when she and her brother had fought, the male Titans had grabbed the gun and Cyborg and Pluto both modified it to send out a reversal ray. Her reign had been short but at least it had been fun. She got away, vowing revenge. The Titans had kept the Cat Ear Ray Gun under lock and key.

Unfortunately for them, Kat had a backup and had kept it till now.

Now, it was time for the Cute Cat Ear Gang to make a return in this world.

* * *

"Soon…this school will be mine," muttered Kat. She began to giggle, "Heh, heh," and then it turned into full blown laughter, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!" She stopped when she noticed the teacher and her classmates staring, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT!?" she screamed angrily and they turned away from looking at the crazy girl. Kat just continued snickering to herself.

Rose gave her wife and lover a concerned look.

* * *

"Have you seen Kat lately?" asked Kenzaki as he along with Ryuji, Kotonoha and Neko were headed to the cafeteria to have lunch.

"Well, we did see her at the gate," Neko remembered.

"I mean recently," clarified Kenzaki. "I mean I could've sworn I heard her insane laughter."

"Same here," said Ryuji. "But I just thought it was a hallucination."

"So, Kenzaki-san," began Kotonoha. "How is Kumiko-san fitting in here at school?"

"She's made some new friends thanks to Bobby and Cathy," said Kenzaki. Kumiko had just enrolled as a student here in Sakakino High, today. She was in the same first year class as Bobby and Cathy. The three had become very close friends. "But, seriously, Kat just seems crazy."

"She always looks like that," stated Ryuji. "When she has that grin on her face you know she's up to something insane."

"Well, maybe she's bored," guessed Neko.

"Which is worse," Ryuji pointed out. "You know her better than anybody, Neko-nee, so you know what it's like when she's bored."

"Oh, right," snickered Neko. "Kat-neechan does have a habit of doing crazy things when bored."

"We were all there, we know," agreed Ryuji.

Kotonoha decided to speak in Kat's defense, "I don't think she's up to anything bad. She is a Rider, isn't she?"

"Even Riders can be bad, Kotonoha," Kenzaki reminded. "Does Sauron ring a bell?"

Kotonoha shivered. She recalled that night when Ryuji had nearly died protecting her. The term Kamen Riders didn't actually mean one was good. Even evil Kamen Riders existed, like Sauron for example. "Please, don't remind me. I have nightmares just thinking about it."

"Well, aside from my sister looking insane, Serizawa gave me a call," said Ryuji. "She said someone broke into her desk and stole some documents."

"What kind of documents?" asked Kenzaki suspiciously.

"Stuff about the Riders," answered Ryuji with a scowl. "Not much, really. It's a good thing she keeps the more important stuff elsewhere."

"Could it be that spy?" questioned Kotonoha.

"Could be," shrugged Ryuji. "But I wouldn't worry about it."

"Hey, it's Rose-san!" Kotonoha pointed out as she saw Rose running towards them. "Rose-san, konichiwa."

"Hey," Rose greeted with a slight wave. "Have any of you seen Kat?"

"Why?" Kenzaki asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"I was gonna meet her for lunch but she hasn't turned up yet. When I tried to call she didn't pick up," said Rose, worriedly.

The group exchanged looks.

"You don't think…" began Neko.

"Rose, was she acting…crazy?" asked Kenzaki.

"Well, she did laugh maniacally for no reason during class," said Rose. "Why?"

"I knew that was her," Kenzaki snapped his fingers.

"Oh, joy," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "First a spy and now we need to stop Kat from doing something crazy."

"You are all just exaggerating, right?" asked Kotonoha warily.

"Koto-chan, if you know her like we do, you'd understand what she's like sometimes. She's impulsive and does things on a whim. It's even worse when she's bored. One time she used a mind control device on several lions, tigers and bears she freed from the zoo."

"Oh, my!" Kotonoha gasped. "What did she have them do?"

"Let's just say it was tough roundup," Ryuji said. "I know she's a Rider. Heck, she's capable of doing good. I've seen her save a life before." He paused, "But, she likes doing bad things for fun. Bad and crazy things. She can be rationale and be reasoned with but when she's bored and gets rolling…not much can stop her except a boot to the head."

"Rose-chan," Neko said. "Are you sure you don't know what Kat-neechan is planning? Has she told you anything?"

"No, she hasn't," Rose shook her head. "You don't think she's doing something bad here now, is she?"

"We can only pray," said Kenzaki solemnly.

* * *

Having a ticket that allowed her to summon a train that could travel between worlds was the greatest gift her brother could've given her. It didn't take long for Kat to find what she was looking for. Sure, assembly was required but it would be so worth it when she put her plan into action.

"Catgirls everywhere," Kat purred as she rubbed the box's lid up and down. "Oh…this is gonna be so much fun!" She giggled, before she snickered and finally blew up in full blown laughter, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" She then stopped and coughed. "I gotta get something to drink. Laughing makes my throat dry."

* * *

Right after lunch, it was Social Studies and the teacher was going to give them a new assignment to do.

"Now, class, I will assign you all partners," the teacher said. He was just a generic teacher that didn't stand out much save for his ridiculous polka dotted tie and greasy hair along with glasses. He read the names from a list. Ryuji just ignored it until it came to two names that really made his head spin.

"Makoto Itou and Kotonoha Katsura," the teacher recited.

Kotonoha gasped and she turned to look at Makoto who was looking back at her.

Ryuji's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "NANI!?" He stood up with his palms on his desk.

"Hasuma-san, please, be seated and do not make noise," the teacher ordered.

"But you can't make Koto-chan pair up with Itou!" Ryuji argued.

"My decision is final," said the teacher.

Ryuji was about to make a scene to argue about the pairing further but then he felt Kotonoha's hand on his. He looked towards her and she whispered a few words to calm him down. He closed his eyes and sighed before sitting back down.

The teacher continued on with names like, "Taisuke Sawanaga and Setsuna Kiyoura." Apparently, he was pairing up guys and girls here, "Vash Miyata and Sekai Saionji." The next pair of names came as a shock to Ryuji too, "Ryuji Hasuma and Otome Katou."

However, instead of Ryuji, it was Otome who shouted, "NANI!?"

"Is there a problem, Katou-san?" the teacher questioned.

Otome shook her head, "No, sensei."

Ryuji muttered, "This just keeps getting better and better."

After pairing everyone up, the teacher explained what the assignment was. There were to write bios of each other and would present them in class next week. Meaning, they were going to get to know their partners inside and out.

The rest of the class had the students sitting with their new partners and discussing the assignment. Ryuji was forced to sit with Otome as Makoto and Kotonoha sat next to each other. Ryuji had his eyes locked at the back of Makoto's head as he tried not to lose his famous temper.

Makoto trembled as he tried his best to work. He knew he was on the line between life and death. If he said one thing wrong or did something wrong, Ryuji would kill him. He didn't mind working with Kotonoha, but considering their history and how much Ryuji loved her, it was a given that he was on thin ice.

"Are you alright, Makoto-kun?" asked Kotonoha.

"Uh…I'm okay," Makoto laughed nervously.

Elsewhere, Ryuji continued to stare at Makoto. Otome huffed and tried to think of a few questions she could ask Ryuji. She looked up, and saw her partner staring at Makoto and Kotonoha.

"Hasuma, we need to get to work," Otomo spoke up. "Stop staring at them and let's get to work."

"Urusei," Ryuji muttered, his eyes unblinking as he continued to stare at Makoto and Kotonoha.

Otome sighed, knowing there was no way she could get Ryuji to stop glaring daggers at Makoto. Even if she did harbor feelings for Makoto, she wasn't exactly upset with him being teamed up with Kotonoha. He was dating Sekai after all and Otome had moved on and accepted. Still, if Makoto and Sekai ever did break up, she would swoop in and take Makoto as hers.

Ryuji's eyes flashed ice cold blue as he continued to watch Makoto and Kotonoha. He knew he could trust Kotonoha to not be unfaithful. Makoto, however, he could not trust. He felt jealous as he watched Makoto and Kotonoha getting along like good friends despite the pain he'd put her through. Ryuji wanted to rip that smile off Makoto's face and make him eat it.

Otome was starting to lose patience and when she did she would become annoyed and angry. Drawing her hand back, she was going to slap Ryuji upside the head to get his attention. As her hand sailed towards the back of his head, his hand came up and caught her wrist. His eyes drew away from Makoto and Kotonoha for the first time since the start of the assignment and Otome gulped when she saw the cold glare that was being aimed at her.

"Do that again and I'll break your wrist," he warned before letting go. Otome massaged her wrist.

"Look," she sighed. "I know you're mad about those two being paired up. But Kotonoha's a big girl and Makoto isn't the unfaithful type."

"Shows what you know about him then," Ryuji snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Otome frowned.

"Ask Koto-chan," Ryuji shrugged. "Not my thing to tell." He glanced at his girlfriend and her ex. "No matter how much I want to reveal it."

"Maybe I will ask," Otome answered. "In the meantime though, I want to get a good mark on this. To do this I need to ask you a few questions to make a bio and it's rather hard to do when you aren't in a talking mood."

"I'm talking to you right now aren't I?" Ryuji asked.

"Only to threaten me or give me vague hints," Otomo retorted. "Now, can you stop glaring at them for a few minutes so we can get a start?"

Ryuji turned his eyes to look at Kotonoha and Makoto before returning his gaze to Otome. "Alright, fine. Since I have no idea what to ask you, how about you ask me a few questions? After you're done, maybe I can get an idea what to ask."

"OK," Otome said as she held up her notebook and a pen. "Are you alright with answering any personal questions?"

"It depends on how personal they are," replied Ryuji.

"Alright." Otome then began with the first set of questions. They were pretty straightforward. Mostly she asked about his family, friends and the life he had before he came to Sakakino High. She could fill in some of the blanks with what she knew but then she decided to dig in deeper, "OK, I hope you don't blow up at me for this, but why are you such a jerk most of the time?"

"You wouldn't understand," he answered.

"Oh yeah? Try me."

Ryuji sighed. At least talking to Otome got his mind off Kotonoha and Makoto. "Look, there are some things about me you aren't meant to know or understand. I got secrets too, just like everyone else."

"You don't have to tell me your secrets," shrugged Otome. "Just tell me why you're the way you are."

"Alright, fine," Ryuji huffed. "If you must know I have trust and anger control issues. A lot of crap happened to me when I was younger and it messed me up a little."

Kotonoha watched her boyfriend and Otome talk to each other. She had to admit that she was jealous. She wanted to be partnered with him and no one else. Still, she was a little upset that he was talking to Otome about himself and personal stuff.

Otome sighed. "I guess that's enough for now." She then asked, "So, what will you ask me?"

"I'm thinking about it," he told her while glaring at Makoto. Otome sighed and leaned back in her seat. This assignment was going to test her patience to its limits.

* * *

Miyako was typing up some articles that she was working on. Riders were her specialty, but she had other stuff to do as well. Her usual work was what kept her rent paid. The Riders gave her the money a girl needed to splurge once in a while.

As she saved some of her new files, she began to hear muttering from the back room. Frowning, she went to see who was being to so loud. She wanted to give those jerks a piece of her mind.

"So you're going to give me the dirt on the Riders?" a familiar voice asked inside of the back room. Miyako froze. That sounded like Matsuda.

"Yes," the other voice said. "You'll get your dirt on the Riders. I just hope you remember our deal." Miyako managed to take a peak and gasped when she saw what Matsuda was talking to.

'_Imagin!_' Miyako realized. It looked like those Mole Imagin she'd heard about except that it wore a black coat over a blue jumpsuit and had large claws with a star at the top of its nose.

"As long as you help me make those costumed weirdoes pay for the trouble they've caused me," Matsuda replied.

Miyako walked away, silently, so she wouldn't be heard. '_Gotta tell him_,' Miyako thought as she went back to her desk and took out her cell phone.

* * *

As Ryuji sat in class, still glaring daggers at the back of Makoto's head, his cell phone vibrated. He always put it in vibrate mode in school. Taking it out of his pocket, he flipped it open. "Serizawa," he muttered as he read the message. His eyes widened a bit. If what Miyako suspected was true, then there was going to be some trouble from this Matsuda guy.

The watch hadn't beeped so that meant the Imagin hadn't caused any trouble…

Suddenly the watch started beeping frantically.

Spoke to soon.

Ryuji stood up and raised his hand, "Sensei, may I be excused?"

"Just don't take too long," the teacher said as he continued to read from a book.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Otome as Ryuji started to leave. "We're not done here."

"Just going out to clear my head," he said before he ran for the door. He slid it open and ran out.

Kotonoha looked on worriedly while Setsuna watched him go. She knew where he was going. "Good luck, Ryuji Hasuma," whispered Setsuna.

"Did you say something, Kiyoura-san?" asked Taisuke.

"No," she replied in monotone.

* * *

Ryuji had already transformed into his Rider alter-ego and riding on his Machine Dyno-Breaker bike. It was designed like all the other bikes used to control time trains but with a completely red paintjob and with tusks in the front. The headlights seemed to glow as he raced along the streets.

"Hope Serizawa's tip off was on the money," Ifrit said.

'_She has been a great help_,' replied Loki.

"I know. I guess I owe her my thanks."

'_What do you think the Imagin will do?_" asked Loki.

"Something that will draw my attention and me out in the open, that's for sure, if the guy he's contracted to is any indication." Miyako had given Ifrit a brief description of Matsuda. He would know what to look for. If the guy was dirty and sleazy then the Rider would know it was him.

Reaching a construction site, Ifrit could hear screams of terror coming from the construction workers. The building they were in the middle of building shook like there was an earthquake but the black armored Rider knew better. Dismounting his ride, Ifrit summoned a Sub-Zero Shooter and marched into the scene that was surrounded by a wooden fence.

There were holes all over the ground and they definitely weren't normal. Narrowing his eyes, Ifrit decided to make his presence known.

"Oi, Imagin-teme!" Ifrit shouted.

The Imagin in question leapt out one of the holes it'd made and snickered, "We were expecting you."

Near the stack of I-beams was Matsuda with a camera and he didn't go unnoticed by Ifrit. He would teach that guy a lesson as soon as he was done with the Imagin.

Aiming his gun at the Imagin, Ifrit prepared to fire but his opponent was quick and swiftly dove into one of the holes. Cursing silently, Ifrit ran over to the hole and looked into it. "Come out, now!" he ordered.

The Imagin did but it jumped out of a hole behind Ifrit and slashed him in the back. Ifrit tried to backhand it but the Imagin dove into the hole before jumping out of another hole to slash Ifrit in the back before diving into a strategically placed hole. Ifrit looked around. It was like a Whack-a-Mole game only if he lost he'd lose a lot more.

Matsuda couldn't stop taking pictures of how the Starnose Imagin was humiliating the Rider. This was going to be big news.

Ifrit cursed as he looked around him at the holes in the ground. More holes meant more hiding places and he had a hard time finding his opponent. Still, there was an easier way to deal with it. Ifrit's eyes went over to Matsuda. He had a brief thought of killing this man. Nobody would miss him and the guy was stain after all.

Then, Ifrit imagined the disappointed look on his girlfriend's face. No, he wouldn't go so low as to murder someone to get rid of an Imagin. He'd changed.

Suddenly, dirt burst out of all the holes like geysers and Ifrit's eyes widened when he saw all the dirt flying at him. He screamed in outrage as he was being buried alive by the Imagin's dirt attack. Soon, he was completely buried save for his head that was poking out. He struggled as Matsuda laughed along with the Starnose Imagin who'd crawled out from one of its hiding places.

After trapping the Rider under a pile of dirt, the Starnose Imagin marched towards Matsuda who was busy taking embarrassing photos of the Rider's current position.

"Oh, man!" Matsuda cheered as he continued taking pictures. "These are great!"

"Good, now that I've granted your wish, it's time for you to pay," the Starnose Imagin said to Matsuda.

"Hold on a sec!" Matsuda objected. "I want you to reveal their identities!"

"Sorry, but your wish was to 'get dirt on the Riders'," the Starnose Imagin said, reciting the wish Matsuda had made. It pointed at the Rider who was trapped in dirt with only his head poking out. "I've buried one of them in dirt so that means I've granted your wish."

"B-but!" Matsuda sputtered.

"Next time, be more specific with your wishes," the Starnose Imagin informed, "If you have a next time." It then tapped Matsuda's forehead, splitting the man open to reveal the portal.

"Oi! Chotto matte!" Ifrit shouted as he managed to dig his way out.

"Contract Complete!" the Starnose Imagin announced before leaping into the portal. Matsuda then closed up and fell on his rear in shock.

"Kuso!" Ifrit growled as he took out his Rider ticket and held it over Matsuda's head. After a moment, the image of the Starnose Imagin appeared with the date December 13th 1998.

"I got you!" Matsuda bellowed suddenly, grasping for Ifrit's helmet. He was met with a palm to his face, knocking him back.

"I've got more important things to do then to have a pathetic drunk trying to see my face," Ifrit growled.

"Don't walk away from me!" Matsuda shouted, getting to his feet. "You damn Riders ruined my life! I'm going to find out who you are and tell the world!"

"From what I've heard, your life was ruined long before I came into it," Ifrit growled. "How about instead of blaming me, you take some responsibility and do something about it?!" He turned away and looked up to see the DynoLiner arriving on its tracks. As soon as it was in range, Ifrit leapt up and entered the Mammoth via the hatch on the head. The train then flew straight into the portal which would take him to his destination.

* * *

While Ryuji was out dealing with the Imagin, Kat was in school putting her plan into action. She immediately pulled out the ray gun and aimed it at all her female classmates, "Catgirl Ray Gun! Fire!" The beam went wide and zapped each and everyone one of the girls in the classroom. The boys, however, were confused but not as confused when they saw the girls suddenly grow long furry tails and have cat ears sprout out from the top of their heads, both the same color as their hair.

The catgirls immediately turned to face Kat. Rose was the only one not targeted and she asked, "Kat, what are you up to?"

"Oh, just trying to put a little excitement in this boring place!" said Kat as she looked upon the catgirls. Clearing her throat, she asked with a shout, "OK! WHO IS YOUR QUEEN?"

"YOU ARE, KAT-SAMA!" the collective catgirls all answered unanimously. Now this was freaking out the boys.

Kat grinned. Now things were going to be fun. She cocked her ray gun and marched right out of class, followed by her army. Rose sighed and decided to follow. She might as well follow Kat to see how all of this would play out in the end.

* * *

**December 13th 1998**

Matsuda was leaning against the wall of a bar with a bottle of beer in his hand. It was well after dark but he didn't care. He was obviously intoxicated. "That bitch…" he slurred. "Didn't know what was good for her (hic!)." He took a swig of his drink, "Good thing I got rid of her ass!" he snickered drunkenly. "Maybe I should go get me a whore for tonight!"

Sand began pouring out from his clothes and then it reformed into the Starnose Imagin. Matsuda didn't realize he was in any danger but the Starnose Imagin took one look at him, felt disgusted, and then tossed Matsuda into a pile of trash. "Sleep there with the rest of the garbage," the Imagin said before it ran off to cause some trouble.

A loud roaring sound announced the arrival of the DynoLiner before the train itself took the stage. The Starnose Imagin acted fast. Diving at the ground, he plowed through the concrete and soil. It avoided any sewer pipes so to make things less messy than they needed to be.

Ifrit leaped out of the DynoLiner and looked around for his target. Spying the hole in the ground, he cursed softly. He didn't need another game of Whack-a-Mole.

**

* * *

  
**

Back in the present, things were just as bad.

"You know," Taisuke muttered. "I had a fantasy about this once."

"Oh yeah?" asked Makoto. "What happened?"

"Well," Taisuke sighed. "They sure didn't try to attack me."

Makoto and Taisuke were two of the initial victims of the catgirl invasion. One second, they were minding their own business. The next, Kat came rampaging into their class, shot some kind of weird gun and suddenly all the girls in the class sprouted cat ears and tails. They meowed and purred, stretching in such incredible sexy ways…and then beat the crap out of the boys in the classroom. Makoto seemed to be in better shape since Sekai, who had also been turned into a cute catgirl, was affectionately licking his scratches. They still stung like hell though. In fact, any boy who had a girlfriend seemed to have their kitty girls tending to them.

"I guess I can't smite their affection for their boyfriends," Kat sighed as she watched some of the girls smother boys with affection.

"And would you?" asked Rose.

"Nah," Kat shrugged. "Just as long as they know who the boss is."

"Mama," Cathy spoke up. "Can you turn Bobby into a kitty boy for me?"

"Hey!" Bobby cried. He was the only boy unscathed since he was Cathy's boyfriend and a boy Kat actually liked.

"He's already kitty-boy sweetie," Kat mentioned as she checked her list of classrooms.

"Yeah I-HEY!!" Bobby sputtered.

"Here," Kat passed three headbands with fake cat ears to her family while already wearing one on her head. "Wear these. I got more catgirls to make."

"I don't think so!" Kat heard and she scowled. Turning around, she could see Kenzaki, Neko, Athena and Kotonoha. Kat had been aiming for Kotonoha but unfortunately for her, Athena had shielded her so the girl wouldn't be turned into one of her catgirls. "Kat, stop this now!"

"Onegai!" added Neko.

"Oh, come on!" Kat scoffed. "Don't tell me you don't find this cute."

"Turning innocent girls into brainwashed slaves isn't my idea of cute," retorted Kenzaki. While they were here, Warren and Raven were doing some crowd control. The two of them had placed a barrier around the school to keep this incident isolated. They would need to alter a few memories, though.

"Everyone's a critic," Kat huffed. She eyed Kotonoha. "You know, you would've made a kawaii little catgirl. My bro would so love it."

Kotonoha imagined how she would look like with a tail and cat ears. She blushed as her imagination took her on a more erotic spin as she imagined herself and Ryuji mating like a pair of cats in heat.

"Lady Kotonoha, focus," Athena said.

"Oh, right!" Kotonoha was still flushed, though.

Kat's eyes narrowed and then they fell on Neko. She smirked. Maybe this would be a good time to deal with a nagging problem once and for all. Taking aim she fired her ray gun at Neko who couldn't dodge in time.

Thankfully, Gekiryuken got in the way and deflected the ray. Undeterred, Kat took another aim and fired. She hit her mark this time.

"Neko!" shouted Kenzaki in horror as he watched his girlfriend being shot. A long black tail came out from under her skirt as a pair of cute cat ears appeared at the top of her head. Kat smirked as she considered this her finest work.

"Now, come here, Neko-chan!" said Kat invitingly. Of course, Neko ignored her and pounced Kenzaki before nuzzling his chin and licking his face. "O-kay…" She checked her gun. "Maybe I should've made it stronger." She shouted, "Neko-chan, break up with him."

"No!" Neko objected as she purred and continued to cuddle with her boyfriend.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," Kat groaned. "Now I know I should've set the brainwash on max with her." What Kat didn't know was that Gekiryuken had protected Neko from some of the mind altering effects of the ray, namely total obedience to Kat. Still, she was still acting like an affectionate cat with Kenzaki.

Kenzaki managed to get Neko off him and both of them stood up side by side. He smirked, "Guess your plan didn't work."

"Oh, well, time for Plan-B!" Kat exclaimed as she summoned her belt and took out her card, "Henshin!"

"Henshin!" Kenzaki swiped his pass over his belt.

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

His armor formed over his body, changing him into the wolfish Kamen Rider Garoh in Hunter Form.

"Meow! Gekiryu Henshin!" Neko shouted as she held Gekiryuken in his sword form. In a flash of light she'd become Kamen Rider Ryukendo.

"CATGIRL ARMY, ATTACK!!!" Kamen Rider CopyKat commanded.

* * *

Back in 13th December 1998, Ifrit was having a hard time trying to track down his foe. The stupid underground monster was trashing everything in sight. It was just avoiding Ifrit's attacks. Instead of directly confronting the Rider, it was trashing everything around Ifrit. It was hoping to change the timeline without actually confronting Ifrit himself. This could be seen by the way the buildings were collapsing all around him.

"Kuso!" Ifrit growled. "Get up here you bastard!"

To punctuate his attack, Ifrit fired a few rounds into one of the holes that the Starnose Imagin had created.

"Come on out!" Ifrit bellowed into a hole.

* * *

In the present, the catgirls were all sprawled on the ground, unconscious. In the middle of it were Garoh and Ryukendo, fighting against CopyKat.

"**I knew you couldn't be trusted!**" barked Garoh as he swiped at CopyKat who dodged before she struck with her axe. Ryukendo blocked it.

"What was your first clue, Kenny?" purred CopyKat as she kicked Ryukendo backwards.

"Why are you doing this?" Ryukendo asked. "I thought you were on our side!"

"For the record, I'm on MY side!" informed CopyKat. "And just because I'm fighting GIN-SHOCKER doesn't mean I'm one of the good guys." She jumped up and nailed the two with jump kicks that sent them reeling backwards. Banishing both axes, she took out her Catgirl Ray Gun. Twisting a dial, she set it to maximum level. "Now, time for you to say hello to my little friend!" She took aim and fired.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Ryukendo screamed as she was shot.

"**NEKO!**" Garoh shouted.

CopyKat stopped firing and grinned. She then gave a command, "Neko-chan, please attack Kenny here."

Garoh dodged in time from a sword slash aimed for his neck as Ryukendo suddenly turned on him. "**Neko!?**" he shouted.

"I must defeat you, for the mistress!" Ryukendo smiled before charging at Garoh with CopyKat watching gleefully.

Garoh had to block and dodge the blows instead of fighting back. Sparks flew as their swords clashed. There was no way he could harm his brainwashed girlfriend. She slashed, punched and kicked at him and he stumbled back from the hits that got through his defenses. She then swiped at him but he used his sword to block. Their blades were locked for only a minute before she performed a sweep kick that knocked him off his feet before pushing him down with her foot on his chest. She had the tip of Gekiryuken pointed at Garoh's neck.

"Ojou-sama!" shouted Gekiryuken. "Yamerro!" He didn't want his partner and wielder to slay Garoh.

Ryukendo's eyes narrowed under her helmet. She then drew her hand back before thrusting the sword down on Garoh's throat. However, she froze when the tip was only a short inch away from his neck.

"Hey!" shouted CopyKat. "Why did you stop!?"

Ryukendo backed away from Garoh and turned her head towards the window. She could see buildings vanishing and knew something was definitely up. She turned to look at Garoh and much to CopyKat's shock helped him back to his feet.

"**Neko?**" asked Garoh. She nodded.

"Go, there's trouble in the past," she said before turning her back to him. "I'll take care of my sister."

With a nod, Garoh ran for a door, any door, with his Rider Pass in hand. He was needed in another time and place.

"Kat-neechan, you're mine!" With a roar, Ryukendo dashed towards CopyKat. The Tiger Rider equipped her forearms with gauntlets that had sharp retractable claws. Their weapons clashed, creating a rain of sparks.

**

* * *

  
**

Back in the past, Ifrit suddenly got an idea. If the Starnose Imagin was like a mole, then all the holes were connected by a series of tunnels. He found a hole and then aimed his open palm at him. He then fired a blast of frost straight into the hole. Ice formed around it and in the tunnel, spreading all over. "Wait for it…"

The Starnose Imagin immediately shot out of one of its holes, unable to withstand the immense chill. Grinning, Ifrit took aim and opened fire on the Imagin who staggered back from the shots.

Ifrit continued to fire, even when he saw the GaroLiner appear and dropping Garoh off next to him. "You're a bit late," said Ifrit.

"**I was held up by something**," replied Garoh as he gripped his sword. "**So, this is the guy that's causing trouble**."

"Yeah, but he's mine so I get to finish him off."

"**Well, be my guest**."

Smirking, Ifrit changed tactics and morphed his gun into a sword while summoning his second sword. Gripping them tightly, he charged at the Starnose Imagin. Catching the monster by surprise, he slashed at the creature savagely and without mercy. Garoh joined with him and the two double-teamed the Imagin.

* * *

Back in the present, the fight had been taken outside. CopyKat and Ryukendo battled violently as sparks were ripped off their armors from the slashes they were administering on each other. Surrounding them in a circle was CopyKat's catgirl army and they were cheering on their queen. Rose, Cathy and Bobby were among them too.

"Change them back!" Ryukendo demanded as she swiped at CopyKat who jumped back.

"Never!" CopyKat shouted back. "I don't get why you're against this! I thought we both liked cats!"

"Sorry, but I draw the line at genetically altering girls and brainwashing them into slaves," Ryukendo shot back as she stabbed at CopyKat who blocked with her clawed gauntlets. "And I'm mad at you for making me attack Ken-kun!"

"You deserve so much better!" CopyKat retorted.

"How would you know?"

"Because I am you!"

Yin and Yang clashed at full force. Both were evenly matched. Though they were sisters, Ryukendo was going to have to beat some sense into her sociopathic sibling.

Cathy was beside herself. She didn't know who to root for. Even Rose wasn't sure if she should be cheering or not. As for Bobby…

"Big Sis! Kick her ass!" he cheered. Some of the catgirls who were cheerleaders were waving pom-poms while chanting.

* * *

**13****th**** December 1998**

In the middle of the battle, the Starnose Imagin had once again escaped by digging its way into the ground, leaving the two Riders searching.

"Kuso! He ran away!" Ifrit cursed.

"**So where is this guy anyway?**" asked Garoh.

"Not sure," Ifrit growled. "The stupid bastard has been digging all over the place. I can't get a lock on him!"

"**Hmmm**," Garoh pondered. He looked over to the nearest hole. "T**hen I think it's time that we go after him instead of waiting for him to come up here.**"

With that, Garoh leaped into the nearest hole. Slapping his forehead, Ifrit followed after his ally. The two skidded down the dirt tunnel and came to a stop inside one of the dark tunnels that the Starnose Imagin had created.

"**Now, let's go find this guy**," Garoh spoke, heading down one of the tunnels.

* * *

Back in the present, Ryukendo and CopyKat were going all out. When Ryukendo executed a Gekiwaza, CopyKat did something surprisingly similar.

"Gekiwaza! Nyao Nyao Dan!" Ryukendo sent an aura projection shaped like a large cat at CopyKat.

"Ringi! Goyu Koha!" shouted CopyKat as she unleashed her own attack, this time an aura projection of a black lioness. The two aura beasts clashed and exploded.

"Nani!?" Ryukendo gawked.

"I learnt some new tricks," purred CopyKat. "Just like you I practice JyuKen but not that Geki stuff." To demonstrate, a black and purple aura flared out from her body.

"RinJyuKen," realized Ryukendo.

"Fighting for my pride. My personal gain. RinJyuKen Lioness-Ken user. CopyKat," the feline Rider clarified. "And for my next trick!" She went into stance, "RinJyu Lioness-Ken! Ringi! Goyu Shoda!" CopyKat rushed at Ryukendo with her fist drawn back. "HYAH!" she threw her gauntlet covered fist, energized with Rinki.

Ryukendo brought up her shield to block but it shattered from the destructive impact and the female Dragon Rider was thrown backwards by the force of the strike. The catgirls dispersed quickly as Ryukendo slammed into a wall. She groaned as she picked herself up.

"See how superior RinJyuKen is compared to that GekiJyuKen stuff Kenny teaches you? Come on, join me and I can teach you so much," CopyKat offered.

"No way! Ryuou Giri!" Ryukendo swung her sword to send an energy blade at CopyKat who caught it in her claws and shattered it. "No way!" cried Ryukendo in disbelief.

"That's Rinki for ya," snickered CopyKat. "But, if you're so stubborn then let me show you what you're missing." She went into a new stance, "Ringi…"

"Damn," Ryukendo cursed as she tried to remain standing but CopyKat's Goyu Shoda had left her knees weak and they were ready to buckle.

"Sorry, little sister, but I guess you lose!" CopyKat produced a ball of her Confrontation Ki and aimed it at Ryukendo, "Raigo Dan!" She then threw the ball at Ryukendo.

Ryukendo braced herself as the energy ball came hurtling towards her.

* * *

**13****th**** December 1998**

Ifrit and Garoh were still searching for their quarry. The Starnose Imagin had made a complex system of tunnel in the time that it had been underground. Where it was at this point was anyone's guess.

"GAAAA!!" Ifrit bellowed. "Get out here, you teme!" Ifrit roared.

"**I don't think he'll listen," **Garoh sighed.

A sudden explosion came from behind. Both Riders turned around to face what was coming. To their surprise, it was the Starnose Imagin with a large rock hoisted above its head.

"Die!" the Starnose Imagin roared as it hurled the rock.

"Crap/**Shit!**" both Riders exclaimed as solid death came flying at them. Both Riders looked to each other before Garoh produced his pass. Ifrit, however, was reaching for his belt. Garoh swiped his pass as Ifrit pushed his thumb on the switch.

**"FULL CHARGE!"**

Both Riders readied their weapons. For Garoh, his blade detached from his scimitar and spun in the air. Ifrit raised his Sub-Zero Shooters and let the energy pool into his weapons. The boulder rolled closer, ready to crush them before they let the attacks fly.

The two hissatsus collided with the boulder, bringing a large explosion and sending dust everywhere. The Starnose Imagin shielded its eyes from the sight. It looked towards the cloudy mess, hoping to have killed its enemies with the rubble. It peered deeply for a moment before two glowing attacks came cutting through the dust.

"Yeeeeaaarrrg!" the Starnose Imagin cried as the two attacks ripped through it. It exploded a moment later, signaling the end of the battle.

"About damn time!" Ifrit growled.

"**Yeah**," Garoh nodded as he got his blade back. "**Oh, there's something you need to know** **about what Kat is doing right now**."

"Huh?" Ifrit blinked.

* * *

**Present.**

The ball of Confrontation Ki exploded on impact and CopyKat watched apathetically as she seemingly killed her sister. Rose and Cathy were appalled and speechless. How could she…

"She's not dead yet," CopyKat answered their unasked question. She could sense something in the smoke cloud. Suddenly, it was blown away.

Standing in front of Ryukendo was a red aura gorilla. Alongside it was a white aura lion and floating on the other side of the gorilla was a blue aura shark. Flapping its wings above Ryukendo was a yellow aura eagle.

Brave Leon, Fire Kong, Thunder Eagle and Aqua Shark were back.

Ryukendo was just as confused as CopyKat. "But how?"

"They heard your call for help," explained Gekiryuken. "You see, they were more than just your Zodiac Beasts. They were your spirit partners from the start. Your guardian spirits."

"Sugoi," Ryukendo was awed as she reached over and petted Brave Leon. Her lips curled into a smirk as she turned her sights on CopyKat. She spoke, "Born in the light of the dragon's fang and wielding the claws of the cat. The Blade of Justice. Hasuma Confrontation Style swordswoman and GekiJyu Cat-Ken user. Watashi wa Ryukendo! Raijin!"

"This is bad," gulped CopyKat. She generated her Confrontation Ki as Ryukendo generated her Fierce Ki. "RinJyu Lioness-Ken!"

"GekiJyuKen!" called out Ryukendo as her Fierce Ki was infused in her Guardian Beasts.

"Ringi!"

"Gekiwaza!"

"SHISHI HOKOHA!"

"GEKI JYUOU HOU!"

CopyKat summoned a larger version of her aura lioness and sent it charging at Ryukendo. Ryukendo's Guardian Beasts all fired beams of energy from their mouths which combined into a powerful blast of energy.

Both attacks struck at the same time but even with her apparent power, CopyKat's attack was countered. The aura lioness was torn apart before the quartet of Fierce Ki charged Guardian Beasts rushed at her.

Ryukendo called out, "DAI JYUOU GEKI!"

Brave Leon slashed at her with its claws as Fire Kong used a burning uppercut to send her skyward. Aqua Shark and Thunder Eagle slashed her with their fins and wings, respectively, freezing parts of her armor and electrocuting her at the same time.

Seeing her sister falling, Ryukendo decided to end this fight right here and now. Bending her knees, she then jumped high into the air.

"Here's something Ken-kun taught me! Ro Ro Shu!" Ryukendo announced.

When she was above CopyKat, Ryukendo then performed a brutal heel kick that was charged with her Fierce Ki which sent the Tiger Rider plummeting to the ground, creating a ten foot wide crater on impact.

"Owwwwwww!!!" CopyKat groaned as her transformation failed. She groggily got up in the crater. "What the hell was that!? I didn't know there was a Gekiwaza like that!"

"Neither did we," Gekiryuken mumbled.

"Hush," Ryukendo whispered. She looked up at her recovering sister. "Now is this going to stop, Kat-neechan?"

"Sheesh," Kat sighed. "I just wanted an army of cute catgirls for myself. Is that so wrong?"

"It is with the brainwashing!" a new voice snapped. Kat looked up to see her youngest brother, returned from the past, at the edge of the crater.

"Hey, Ifrit-chan," Kat smiled with a bit of a chuckle. "Guess you got the news."

"You just had to pull this kind of crap today," Ryuji sighed. "Of all days, you picked today."

Kenzaki looked on. Ryuji would definitely give Kat a piece of his mind. He was good at making people pay for their crimes. Now Kat would have second thoughts about pulling a stunt like this again.

"You make a perfectly fightable army and I couldn't take part!" Ryuji complained, making Kenzaki facefault. "You owe me big for doing this behind my back, Kat."

"I'll give Katsura-chan cat ears and a tail without brainwashing. Howzzat?" Kat asked with a grin.

"I'll think about it," Ryuji snorted. "In the meantime, reverse what you did and I won't break your toy. You don't want to miss your Rosie-chan being a catgirl now, do you?"

"Hm…" Kat thought about it. "OK!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Kat to turn all of the girls back to normal. Thankfully, the reverse process also altered their memories. None of the former catgirls remembered a thing of the incident. As for the boys, Ryuji and Kotonoha used their SB-Cells and worked together with Warren and Raven to erase their memories of this incident. When they found Vash, he was covered in cuts and bite marks but he had a huge grin on his face.

"That…was hot," he said before passing out.

* * *

"Now that was an adventure," Warren sighed as he worked the soreness out of his arms. Keeping fields up for that long always fatigued him.

"If I never see another catgirl again, it will be too soon," Raven muttered darkly. Kat was too much of a troublemaker in her opinion.

"Too bad," Warren sighed. "I think catgirls are so sexy."

"Oh? What about birdgirls?" asked Raven with a seductive sparkle in her eyes. Warren didn't seem to notice.

"Hmmm. Never seen one," Warren shrugged.

Raven smiled. Now she knew just what to do after the children were put to bed.

* * *

Once school was over, Kat fulfilled her promise and zapped her brother's girlfriend with the ray gun. Fortunately, she wasn't brainwashed and the effects would wear off after a few hours.

Kotonoha couldn't keep her paws of Ryuji as they rode home on the DynoLiner together and he was finding it hard to resist her. She kept kissing and nuzzling him the entire trip, yearning for his touch.

Once they arrived home, Ryuji opened the door and entered along with Kotonoha, before he finally acted.

"Now, come here, you pretty little kitty!" Ryuji chortled as he lifted a now catgirl Kotonoha into his arms and carried her bridal style up the stairs as she purred while nuzzling and licking his neck.

* * *

"I'm sickened by this, Matsuda," the editor spoke as Matsuda and Miyako sat in front of him. Miyako was submitting her new article and Matsuda was coming in with his pictures of Ifrit. Of course, the editor knew about his reporter's dive into Miyako's files. "You tried to steal Miyako's notes about the Riders."

"Hey! I was getting a story!" Matsuda retorted hotly. He then pointed at Miyako. "She's not even trying to find out who they are!"

"You think people who do what they do are going to let their identities be found out?" Miyako frowned. "If you wanted information then you could have asked or found some of your own!"

"I couldn't be sure of your convictions!" Matsuda argued. "As a reporter you should be telling everyone who the Riders are! They have a lot to answer for!"

"Yeah, to a bunch of people who are upset about their property," Miyako sighed. "Thanks to them those monsters haven't been able to kill anyone!"

"ENOUGH!" the editor roared. He caught the attention of his reporters. "Matsuda, during the course of Miyako's career, she has never lied in her articles. You on the other hand have exaggerated and played down on things. Your rants on the Riders are very well known."

"But…my pictures! They show Ifrit's incompetent!" Matsuda sputtered.

"Considering his track record, I think he ran into a challenge," the editor growled. "I should fire you for what you tried to do with Miyako's notes. Still, these pictures and your work history are what are still keeping you here. Consider yourself on probation."

Miyako felt satisfied as she and Matsuda left the editor's office. She watched Matsuda sulk away. It made her feel good to see that his plot to ruin the Riders had failed. Still, she had better call them up and let them know that things had smoothed out.

* * *

"I told you so," said Rose as she, Cathy, Bobby and Kat returned home to their apartment.

"I know, I know," Kat sighed. "It was a bad idea. You don't have to keep reminding me."

"Why? It's fun," Rose snickered. "Honestly, you didn't think you were going to be stopped, did you?"

"I had her," Kat grumbled, "And she managed to break free."

"I guess that's the power of true love for you," shrugged Rose. "Speaking of which, do you still have that ray gun?"

"Right here," Kat took it out of her book bag. "Why?"

Rose leaned in and whispered into Kat's ear, causing the female Rider to grin widely from ear to ear.

* * *

Kenzaki was obviously upset with what Kat did. Honestly, trying to break him and Neko up. That was unforgivable. What more, his girlfriend's evil twin was a practitioner of RinJyuKen which didn't bode well for him. Well, at least Neko knew how cheer him up.

"Meow…" Neko let out as she kneeled on Kenzaki's bed while waving at him invitingly with one hand. She was dressed in a sexy maid's outfit complete with fake cat paws, a tail and ears.

Kenzaki blinked and then smirked. Closing the door behind him, he pounced on top of his girlfriend.

"Oh, Goshujin-sama!" she purred. "I've been a naughty girl! Please, punish me!"

"Oh, I'll do more than that," he chuckled. "Now, let me play with my little kitty!"

Kenzaki may not get to 3rd base or score a homerun, but at least getting to first and second base was going to be fun.

**

* * *

  
**

Ryuji and Kotonoha lay back in bed after their little romp. Kotonoha was purring contentedly, having kept her cat features for a little while longer. Ryuji felt his day was looking up now.

It wasn't the fact that Kat had made her catgirl army that pissed him off. Heck, it would have been fun fighting those odds. Mischievous and villainous as Kat was, she wouldn't do any lasting harm. She would just rule the area she conquered for a little while before growing bored and giving it back. Besides, several heroes lived in the area. What did she think was going to happen?

No, he was mad because he didn't get to fight those catgirls. At least Kat was making it up to him by giving Kotonoha catgirl status for a little while. He couldn't believe it, but she was even friskier now than before the catgirl ray.

A soft purring and claws stroking his chest brought Ryuji back to sweet reality.

"Not tired yet," Kotonoha purred. "Kitten wants to play with her tomcat some more!"

Ryuji happily obliged.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: OK, this has got to be the longest chapter for KAMEN RIDER IFRIT ever! Well, what did you all think of the plot? Fun and wacky, wasn't it? Anyway, hope you had fun reading this as much as I have writing it. I have Ten-Faced Paladin to thank too. Couldn't finish this chap without his help. Anyway, I hope the catgirls were fun to see. I just wanted to portray Kat as a villain for a little bit. She's not all bad, but she isn't a good girl either.

OK, translations:

**CopyKat's Ringi**

Goyu Koha: Brave Roar Wave

Goyu Shoda: Brave Strike

Raigo Dan: Thunder Hard Bullet

Shishi Hokoha: Lion's Roar Wave

**Ryukendo's Gekiwaza**

Nyao Nyao Dan: Meow-Meow Bullet

Geki Jyuou Hou: Fierce Beast King Cannon

Dai Jyuou Geki: Great Beast King Attack

Ro Ro Shu: Wolf-Wolf Kick

PS: Let me know if you guys have anymore interesting plots I could use.


	17. Midnight Museum Mayhem

Otome looked over at all the notes that she had gathered for her Social Studies report. It hadn't been easy since Ryuji Hasuma was so tight-lipped about his life. Still, she had managed to get to the real meat of it…and she wasn't sure if she wanted it.

Ryuji was the youngest of the four siblings with Neko being third, Ryuki the second, and Kat being the oldest. It hadn't been the most stable of families. Ryuji's father Kyousuke had vanished when they were young. No one knew where he went. The family wasn't hard for cash, but that wasn't the problem. Being the eldest boy, Ryuki was given plenty of attention by his grandparents and Kat hated it, becoming something of a delinquent. Ryuji and Neko were more or less ghosts to the family. No one paid attention to them. Their attention was either focused on Ryuki's training or Kat's delinquency.

Ryuji and Ryuki had adopted a brother figure in an older boy they met and became friends with. Sadly, he had died and the boys dealt with it in their own ways. Ryuki had run away from home while Ryuji became increasingly violent. Later, the boys found out that Kat had committed some kind of crime against the family. It forced Ryuki to run all the way to America while Ryuji needed to go into therapy for his anger issues. He got so out of control that he had to be locked up.

A lot of the issues had been resolved by the time they started coming to school with Otome, Kotonoha, and the others. Kat managed to straighten herself out and Ryuki had come home, coming to terms with the death of his friend. Ryuji even mellowed out a little. That was when Ryuji met Kotonoha.

In Ryuji's words, she was the one person that he could never seem to be angry with. He wasn't sure why. He just never seemed to find anything upsetting about her. Eventually he discovered that he had fallen in love with her, and that she had done the same. They made their relationship public on the day of the school festival.

Otome had asked Kotonoha about the vague hints that Ryuji had been dropping during their first meeting for the project. Kotonoha seemed to dislike telling the story, but she told it anyway. Much of it ended up shocking Otome.

As it turned out, Makoto had been cheating on Kotonoha with Sekai for some time. Somehow, Ryuji had discovered it and started going out of his way to comfort her. Eventually she discovered he had feelings for her one night when she caught Makoto and Sekai making out. He walked her back to her house just to make sure she was okay.

She also explained why Taisuke got the tar beaten out of him on the last night of the festival too. He had confessed to Kotonoha and tried to force himself on her. Kotonoha hadn't used those words, but the look in her eyes and Otome's gift to read between the lines told her what she needed to know. Ryuji went ballistic on him for that. It was also when Kotonoha decided to try and see what a relationship with Ryuji would be like. She never looked back.

* * *

"**MIDNIGHT MUSEUM MAYHEM"**

* * *

Students were gathered in front of a message board and looking at the midterm results that were posted. For a lot of students, this meant anguish and for some victory.

"Aw, man!" Kat groaned as she saw that she was in 58th place. "What a drag."

Rose, who was in the 30th place sighed, "Well, you should've studied more."

"But I did!" Kat exclaimed.

"You spent most of the time watching TV and munching on sushi," Rose clarified.

"Oh, I did," Kat remembered. Actually, she did more than that. Her previous loss to Neko had taught her that she wasn't as strong as she would like to think. She'd been training when she should've been studying.

Kotonoha looked upon her results and smiled. "Looks like I'm at number 1," she beamed.

"Congratulations, Koto-chan," her boyfriend praised, "You deserve that spot with all the hard work you put in."

"Thank you," she blushed at Ryuji's praises.

"And thanks for the help." He was ranked 15th.

"You would've done the same for me."

"It's hard to believe that you did so well," said Kenzaki to Ryuji. Kenzaki was ranked at 16th.

"Well, I did better than you two," pointed Neko. She was at 12th. It was hard to believe that she and Kat had once been the same person.

"So, have you all heard about the fieldtrip to Kyoto next week?" Kotonoha asked her friends.

"Been looking forward to it," nodded Ryuji. '_Especially being alone with Koto-chan._'

"We should go to Cinema Town!" Neko said excitedly. "I wanna play dress up!" She asked Kenzaki, "Have you ever been to Kyoto, Ken-kun?"

"Not really," her boyfriend shrugged. "Never found the time."

"We all know why," Ryuji understood. "But then again I haven't been to Kyoto personally myself."

"Really?" asked Kotonoha. "I thought you might've stopped by on your travels."

"I had other things on my mind. Sightseeing just wasn't a priority."

"Let's change that, then!" said Neko cheerfully. "Let's all create some wonderful memories in Kyoto together." She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and brother's shoulders. "What do you say?"

Kenzaki chuckled as Ryuji rolled his eyes. Even with all the stuff that was happening in their lives, she still had time to smile.

Setsuna eyed the group with her usual stare. There was actually something special in Kyoto. An artifact that had been unearthed several weeks ago. She thought it would be interesting if the class went to the museum there to check it out.

* * *

A week later, Class 2-3 and 2-4 were at the train station. The two classes would be taking an express bullet train straight to Kyoto. Once they arrived in Kyoto Station, they boarded two buses.

One bus had the students of Class 2-3 riding inside while the other bus was for the students of Class 2-4.

Ryuji was seated next to Kotonoha who was snuggling against his arm. A few rows behind them were Kenzaki and Neko with the wielder of Ryukendo talking cheerfully about what they would do there in Kyoto. Taisuke was seated with Setsuna, much to his chagrin, and Makoto was with Sekai. Otome ended up sitting next to Vash who was sleeping with his head against the window. It was just how she wanted it.

"OK, class," said Warren as he spoke into a microphone, "I know you're all excited about this field trip."

"Hell yeah!" one student cried out.

"But I hope you can all suppress that youthful excitement until we actually get there." He turned to his adorable daughter who was holding a clipboard for him. "Tessa, can you hand me my clipboard?"

"Sure, daddy," the little girl said as she handed it to him. A few of the girls went 'aww' at seeing Tessa. She was just so cute.

As Warren was reading the rules off his clipboard, Rachel was doing the same in the other bus for her class. Her eyes were set on Rose and Kat. She'd heard that the Tiger Rider was an apprentice to Slade from an alternate timeline and that Rose was Slade's daughter. She didn't trust them one bit, especially after Kat's attempt to turn the entire female student body into brainwashed catgirls. Hell, Kat would've turned all the female teachers into catgirls too if she hadn't been stopped by Kenzaki and Neko. It was hard to believe that someone like Kat could become a Rider but her husband had explained that the name Kamen Rider wasn't exclusive to just good guys.

Sitting with Alex was Teresa, Warren's girlfriend whom Rachel shared the Wraith with. Though she'd been hesitant to share Warren with any women, Rachel had come to love Teresa like her own sister. And well, Tessa and Alex loved their Aunt Teresa dearly.

Kat and Rose were seated together. Hikari and Nanami were seated on the opposite row and Kat was talking to her two closest friends in class. Kat had actually played on the basketball team a few times and won them several matches and she also helped them settle any arguments they had with any other club who wanted to use the gym for themselves. Sure, Kat had gotten suspended a couple of times but so far she was an amazing asset to the team with her ability to score 3-pointer shots at any given time.

"Oh, I'm gonna soak up all the culture," snickered Kat as she rubbed her hands together.

"You mean stuff your face with food, right?" clarified Rose.

"Naturally, Rosie-chan!" winked Kat. "There's so much I wanna try and buy!"

"Like souvenirs?" Rose asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Kat unfolded a sheet of paper and flashed it, "I even made a list I wanna get for souvenirs. Bobby and Cathy were kinda bummed that they couldn't come along so I promised to bring back souvenirs!" Kat flashed Hikari and Nanami a grin.

It was no secret that Kat, Rose, Cathy and Bobby lived together in Ryuji's old apartment but the nature of their relationship was questionable and made people speculate a lot. They knew Kat and Rose were lovers. Heck, Kat had advertised it a lot to get the point across. Cathy and Bobby liked each other and were dating but preferred to keep their intimate moments to themselves. Still, it was obvious to everyone else that they were in love. Kat actually gave them her blessings since Bobby was the only boy she would ever trust with Cathy.

After several hours, the two buses finally reached Kyoto.

* * *

"Sugoi! What an amazing view!" said Neko in amazement as both classes arrived at Kiyomizu-dera which was a Kitahossou Buddhist temple and historical landmark. Its full name was Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera. She was leaning over the veranda with her eyes wide in amazement. Kenzaki was with her too.

"It is simply marvelous," agreed Gekiryuken.

"It's nice and all," said Kat in a bored tone. "But when do we get some grub? I'm starving."

"You really don't have one cultural bone in your body, do you?" asked Kenzaki.

"Heck, the only culture I'm interested is culinary. I came along to eat the food, not see the sights."

"Ken-kun! Ken-kun!" said Neko cheerfully. "Take a picture of me!"

Kenzaki took out his cell phone to take a picture of her and get away from Kat. He still didn't like her all that much, especially after the catgirl incident, but he tolerated her still for the sake of his girlfriend.

"Neko-san seems to be enjoying herself," observe Kotonoha.

"I guess," shrugged Ryuji.

"What do you think of the view?" asked Kotonoha.

"Oh, it's nice."

Kotonoha frowned and then said, "You know, there is an old Edo tradition involving jumping off from here. If you survived then your wish would be granted."

"You know I can survive a drop like that, Koto-chan," said Ryuji. "But, if you want, I'd jump for you any day."

Kotonoha smiled.

* * *

Some of the students had gone exploring. The temple included several other shrines and among was the Jishu Shrine that was dedicated to Okuninishu, a god of love and "good matches". The shrine possessed a pair of "love stones" which were placed 18 meters apart. Lonely visitors would attempt to walk between the stones with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone with their eyes closed would mean that the 'pilgrim' would find love. That was a why a few lonely girls who didn't have boyfriends were taking turns. So far, none had been able to do so.

Rose was with Hikari and Nanami and giving the loopy-haired girl some encouragement. Setsuna was present as well only to watch Taisuke fail miserably. Now, it was Hikari's turn to walk between the "love stones".

"I don't know about this, girls," said Hikari, blushing a bit in embarrassment.

"Just go and try it," said Nanami. "You want to find love. Any luck would help by now."

"You don't have anything to lose," added Rose.

"But what if I accidentally open my eyes?" said Hikari.

"I got the answer to that," said Rose as she took out a handkerchief and made it into a blindfold for Hikari. "Can you see anything?"

"No," Hikari answered.

"OK, now start walking," said Nanami who gave her best friend a pat on the back. Hikari gulped and started walking, hoping to get to the other stone.

"Hey!" said Kat as she showed up. "What's going on?" She was chewing on some snacks she'd brought along.

"Hikari's doing the love walk," Rose explained.

"Is she blindfolded?" asked Kat.

"Yes."

"Then she's gonna have a hard time getting to that other stone."

Hikari was walking slowly and carefully. '_I can do this. I can do this,_' she thought to herself in encouragement. Since before the incident involving the King Imagin, Hikari had given up on Taisuke who wasn't what she'd wanted in a boyfriend. In fact, she'd wanted someone more like Ryuji. Sure, the guy was a bit rough around the edges and violent but she'd seen how nice he could be. If she could do this, then maybe she could gain the courage to find herself a boyfriend.

She'd managed to walk 10 feet without swaying from the path. She was getting closer. There was no way she was going to fail.

* * *

Back in the main hall, Warren and his family were looking at the view from the veranda. Warren was holding Tessa up in his arms and said, "Take a look at the view, honey!"

"Wow daddy!" said the girl. "It's so pretty!"

"Never saw this when you were in Japan, huh, Rae?" asked Warren.

"We were in Tokyo most of the time," shrugged Rachel. "But maybe next time we can get everyone to come to Kyoto."

"That ought to be fun," grinned Warren. "By the way, have you all seen Vash?"

"I think I saw him somewhere downstairs," pointed Teresa.

Not too far away, Kotonoha was watching Warren and his family. With a sigh she glanced at her boyfriend. She was envious of Warren for having a happy family. She loved her family, without a doubt, but she wanted to raise her own family with Ryuji. She knew it wasn't an impossible wish since she'd seen into his mind and knew he wanted a family with her too. The question was when.

'_Maybe I should get myself a lucky charm for love and marriage_,' thought Kotonoha. She blushed and let out a giggle. '_What am I thinking? I don't need luck but still…it doesn't hurt to get some insurance_.'

* * *

Hikari had tripped before she could reach the second love stone and Nanami was currently consoling her distraught friend. "Hey, cheer up. You managed to almost touch it."

"But I still tripped!" Hikari cried. "Now I'll never find love!"

"Never say never, Hikari," encouraged Kat. "I mean I never expected to find love either until I found Rosie-chan here."

That just made Hikaru feel worse. Why could her friends find love and not her? It was hopeless.

Meanwhile, Vash had shown up and saw what everyone was doing. So, on a whim, he decided to try it himself. He closed his eyes and walked.

* * *

"Ow…" Vash groaned as he pressed his hand against his bandaged forehead.

"So, he tripped and hit his head on the other stone?" Warren asked Kat.

"Yes, and it was hilarious!" chuckled Kat. "I mean he just tripped, fell over and knocked himself out!"

"Not funny," Vash glared.

"Well, if you think that's bad, then you might not want to know that everyone took pictures," snickered Kat.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," moaned Vash. "There goes my street cred."

"Like you had any," snorted Kat. "So, where to next, Teach?"

* * *

The students were then taken to the Kyoto National Museum. Kotonoha was amazed at the large collection of art pieces on display. Ryuji, however, wasn't as fascinated. He didn't care for this stuff, really, but if he got to spend time with Kotonoha, he would endure it. Still, there had to be some interesting piece of art on display.

The museum itself had three sections for Fine Art, Handicrafts and Archeology. Once again the students were allowed to explore. Currently, Kotonoha and Ryuji were in the Fine Arts section of the museum looking at old paintings.

"Isn't it amazing?" said Kotonoha.

"Yeah, it is," said Ryuji.

She gave him a look, "You're not having much fun, are you?"

He sighed. "Old paintings just don't excite me, Koto-chan. Gomen." He looked around and then one painting caught his eye. He walked over to it.

"Ryuji-kun?" she asked. She followed him and then stood next to him as he gazed upon the painting. "What's wrong?" He pointed at the painting entitled the 'Quaking Dragon' and when she looked at it, she gasped.

It was the DynoLiner. Though it appeared like a dragon, the colors and the design was uncanny. If one would compare the image of the painting with the time train itself, they would see the resemblance. Still, unless you knew what the DynoLiner looked like, you would assume the train was actually a dragon.

Ryuji's phone rang and he quickly picked it up, "Hello?"

"_You have to get to the Archeology section_," said Kenzaki on the other end. "_There's something you might wanna see._"

* * *

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Ryuji as he stood amongst a crowd that was looking at the item on display. It was in a glass case with a velvet rope surrounding it. In that glass case was what appeared to be a stone belt. It had a square buckle shaped like a pair of jaws. Though it wasn't possible, but it could only be one thing…

…A Kamen Rider Belt.

"Yes," nodded Kenzaki as he recognized the design which was similar to his own Garoh Belt. The stone belt even had buttons to the right of the buckle. There were four of them, square, and in a vertical row.

"It resembles Kenzaki-sama's own belt," said Gekiryuken.

"But what is a Rider Belt doing here?" asked Kotonoha.

"I think the same reason why the DynoLiner is in this world," reasoned Ryuji. "I saw a painting of the DynoLiner dubbed the 'Quaking Dragon'.

"Fitting name," Neko agreed. "So, this is the original belt linked to your train then."

"I don't know for sure but it could be. Why is it stone?" asked Ryuji.

"Fossilization," Kenzaki theorized. "Must've been fossilized and now it's stone."

"OK, but it's still a Rider Belt nonetheless," said Kotonoha. "What are you going to do about it, Ryuji-kun?"

Ryuji's eyes were focused on the belt. "I don't know." But he knew he had to get it, somehow.

* * *

Hiroshi grumbled as he watched Kotonoha and Ryuji act so obviously in love. It made his temper boil. He was a card carrying member of the Kotonoha Love-Love Association. He had joined up hoping that he would be able to take Kotonoha as his own girlfriend. The problem was that she was with Ryuji Hasuma. Hiroshi thought he was a violent cretin who didn't deserve an angel like Kotonoha. Even though Kotonoha made a point about learning about her, she had never given them a chance to learn about her.

Hiroshi ran with the KLLA these days to try and discredit Ryuji and make Kotonoha break up with him. The problem was that he was dedicated to her and never looked sideways at another girl. He was a tough fighter and Kotonoha accepted that violent side of him. He was obviously corrupting her and Hiroshi had to do something before he completely destroyed the angel she was.

As Hiroshi continued to glare, an orb snuck out from inside a suit of armour. It continued to watch Hiroshi, hoping to see if the kid could be a worthy host. It had to be careful though of the Riders. It'd heard that they could be here.

* * *

Ryuji was still in deep thought during the trip to the inn. First he saw a painting of the DynoLiner captioned as the 'Quaking Dragon'. What could it mean? He knew the DynoLiner had been lost and somehow ended up in this world but to see it in a painting was a big surprise. The name 'Quaking Dragon' also gave his train legendary status. Was it possible that it'd awakened before in the past? How else would it have a painting dated several centuries old?

Since receiving his own time train, Ryuji's rewards for killing Imagin had gone to restocking the DynoLiner with supplies, maintenance of the train as well as fuel for it. That had cost a lot and Ryuji wasn't left with much in the end. Luckily for him he didn't need to spend much now since he was with Kotonoha.

What bothered him was the belt that was in the museum. Sure it was secured from normal criminals but Imagin weren't exactly normal and he was afraid it may end up in the wrong hands. For some reason, he felt a connection with the belt just like his connection with the DynoLiner. He just knew it was his. He didn't know how but he knew that the belt had to be protected.

"Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?" asked Kotonoha who was sitting next to him on the bus. She was leaning against him. She just couldn't help but feel comfortable with him.

"It's nothing," he lied and she knew it.

"You're still thinking about that painting and that belt we saw aren't you?" she asked.

"A little," he admitted.

"Ryuji-kun…" she said pleadingly, wanting him to open up and tell her what was wrong. She could help him if he let her in.

"Well, what else am I supposed to think?" he whispered, "I saw a Kamen Rider belt and it's mine."

"How do you know this?" she whispered back.

"Because the feeling I got when I saw it was the same feeling I got when I pilot the DynoLiner," he reasoned. "It all fits."

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked, knowing she may not like the answer.

"Take it back, I suppose," he told her. She gasped.

"But that's stealing!"

"I know that, but…" He sighed. "It's out in the open like that so I'm feeling a little concerned about its safety."

"Even if it is yours it is still museum property," Kotonoha warned "I don't want you becoming a criminal."

"I'm sorry," he apologized for causing her distress. "I'll try to forget about it. I'm here to enjoy the fieldtrip with you."

"Good." She kissed his cheek. "That's what I want to hear."

"So…" he smirked. "When everybody is asleep, do you want to sneak into the hot springs and…" He then whispered what he planned to do with her and she became flushed.

"Ryuji-kun!" she snapped, slapping his arm. "Hentai!"

"Gomen," he said without remorse as he rubbed his arm.

Kenzaki watched as Ryuji and Kotonoha flirted with each other and sighed. He then felt Neko tickle his chin and with a chuckle he turned to look at his girlfriend.

"Stop staring at them," she said.

"I wasn't staring," he denied.

"Actually, you were," Gekiryuken affirmed.

Neko pouted, "Stare at me for a change, Ken-kun."

"I can't complain about that. You're beautiful," he complimented.

Blushing, Neko covered her pink cheeks. "Oh, Ken-kun!"

"And that isn't a lie," he said to her.

She then leaned up and whispered into his ear, "Let's sneak into the hot springs later when everyone is asleep. Then, I'll let you see me naked."

Kenzaki grinned from ear to ear at hearing this. He was one more step closer. He was not going to mess up this chance. Though she still wouldn't go all the way with him, she had become a bit more willing when the two were sharing their special intimate moments.

In the other bus, most of the students were exhausted and some were asleep. Kat wasn't among them. She'd eaten a lot of candy before getting on the bus and so Rose had to strap her into her seat to make sure she didn't bounce off the walls.

Rose sometimes wondered what made her fall for Kat. When they were just teenagers, they'd met. Kat was her father's apprentice and the two had grown close. Rose fell in love with that crazy catgirl who would cause chaos. Guess she just loved Kat for being so in love with life and not afraid of being herself. Unlike Rose, Kat wasn't shy.

Kat, on the other hand, never wondered about her relationship with Rose. Sure, she could get any guy or girl she wanted but she never really had a type until she met Rose. A bad relationship with a guy (Takada) had made Kat swear off boys for good. They were mostly perverted and hormonally driven. Well, that was a bit biased. Girls could be the same way but at least they could control themselves. OK, that was once again a biased opinion but Kat lived by example and she hadn't seen or met that many descent guys in her life.

Now, she loved Rose for just being Rose. Rose just…she could understand her. Even when she had been a psychotic bitch in the past, and she still was to a certain degree now, Rose could understand her. Many viewed Kat as still being evil. And even if that was true no one could question her own (warped) sense of honor. When push came to shove, Kat would be there to protect her love ones without question. These people included her mother, her wife Rose, her daughter Cathy and her surrogate father Slade too.

But, even with all the shit that happened in her life, she was happy. Now, if only Rose would untie her. She'd only had a few pieces of candy. She wasn't going to crazy just because of that.

* * *

Once they arrived at the inn, the students could get out of their uniforms and into more comfortable attire after a long day. Several had gone to the hot springs to take a relaxing soak while others were wandering around the inn for no apparent reason. One of them was Kat and she was just waiting for dinner. After Rose was sure she was sober, she was freed from her restraints.

"Hey, Kat."

She heard the call and turned to see Ryuji leaning against the wall. "Yeah?" she responded.

"Can we talk? In private?" he requested.

Kat knew this had to be important. Otherwise, Ryuji wouldn't be talking in such hush tones. Also, his body language spoke volumes. This could put an end to the boredom she was feeling. "Sure," she shrugged. "What the hell?"

* * *

"So, are we going to steal this thing or not?" Kat asked bluntly.

Ryuji and Kat were talking alone at a table at a ramen shop. He had informed her about his plans of 'acquiring' the Rider belt they'd seen in the museum.

"Yeah, the training Slade-sensei gave us will come in handy," Ryuji shrugged. "But Koto-chan can never know!"

"You know she'll find out eventually," Kat retorted. She slurped her noodles.

"I want to keep her in the dark at least until we're back in Tokyo," Ryuji sighed.

Kat knew how much Kotonoha meant to Ryuji. Doing this may break the foundation of trust they'd built their relationship on. Still, she understood why Ryuji needed to do this. That belt could become dangerous in the wrong hands like Nanimo for example.

Kat had learnt all she could about Nanimo. The guy had screwed with her little brother's mind. That just made her hate the guy. No one was allowed to harm her family but her. She knew why Ryuji had come to her for help. As apprentices of Slade, they needed to stick together.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Kat.

"I haven't thought of it, really," Ryuji said. "That's why I came to you."

"Good," she grinned. "I have just the plan I've been saving for a similar caper back home."

* * *

"We better do this quick," said Ryuji as she and Kat swiftly and silently got out of the inn without detection after dinner and lights out. Slade had taught them a lot about stealth and in the cover of night, the darkness was their ally. It also didn't hurt to have some dark clothing like the black jumpsuit Ryuji had on and the black bodysuit Kat was sporting. Both also had utility belts, black gloves and black tinted goggles to hide their identities. "I promised Koto-chan I'd spend some time with her."

"Trying to sneak into the onsen for some hot sweaty sex, eh?" teased Kat.

Ryuji blushed but didn't make a sound. "Let's just go. Our ride's waiting outside."

The ride he was talking about was the Machine Dyno-Breaker. Though it wasn't the most inconspicuous bike with the jutting tusks, it had a dark red color scheme that Kat liked.

"And I got our gear," she said, hands patting the pouches of her belt. "You did set up a decoy, right?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Though I wonder where you got blow-up dolls."

"You got your secrets and I got mine," She told him." Said dolls were just brought along for some fun. She would pretend they were people she didn't like and beat them up just for fun. "Now, let's go," she ordered. Ryuji got on the bike and she mounted it behind him before they raced into the night.

* * *

Kotonoha poked her head out into the main hallway to see if anyone was there before slowly tiptoeing towards the onsen. Ryuji was probably waiting for her right now which was why she wasn't wearing anything under that yukata of hers which the hotel had given them. She was going to have some fun with her boyfriend like he'd promised her. '_Oh, Ryuji_,' she thought with a sigh. She imagined what he would do to her while they soaked in the hot water. Her face turned flushed as she giggled.

* * *

The Machine Dyno-Breaker stopped outside of the museum and the two thieves dismounted from their ride. "OK, let's review the plan," said Kat as she took out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and spread it open on the ground. It was a diagram of the museum's interior.

"How did you make this so quick?" asked Ryuji in wonderment.

"Like I said, I drew this up back in our world for a similar caper. I was going to steal some cat-themed artifacts from the museum there," she explained. "OK, the basic plan is in several easy steps."

Ryuji listened to the plan as she explained it to her.

"Step 1: we shut down the security system. Step 2: we take out security. We don't have to kill the guards, just incapacitate them. Step 3: we blind the surveillance system. Step 4: we go in and grab the target and then replace it. Step 5: we escape," she told him.

Ryuji quirked an eyebrow, "That sounds way too simple to me. I thought Slade-sensei would've taught you to be more elaborate."

"He also told me that good plans shouldn't be complicated," she said as she folded the plan up. "Just be creative and improvise. Now, let's go and be silent."

"Way ahead of you," Ryuji winked.

The two went for the main building, ducking under the guard posted at the gate. Using grappling hooks, they silently scaled the walls. Finding a window, Kat cut a hole in the glass using the claws on the fingertips of her gloves and took out the round piece of glass she'd cut out before reaching for the handle and giving it a twist and then pushing the window open for them to enter. She then whispered to Ryuji, "Put on your gas mask." He did as told as she did the same. She reached into her utility belt and pulled out two devices. Both had the stylized sharp 'S' which was Slade's initial. One was an EMP bomb that would knock out all the electrical devices like the security system. The second was a knockout gas emitter.

She set the two items up and activated them. A cloud of gas was generated by the emitter as the EMP generator sent out EMP waves to deal with any surveillance and security systems. The gas would take out any security guards that were patrolling. It had a long range.

The duo then continued to make their way towards the Archeological section of the museum where the belt was on display. With security, both live and electronic, knocked out, it was smooth sailings for them from here on end…or so they thought.

* * *

Kotonoha made her way to the onsen and giggled when she saw a figure there. '_Ryuji-kun_,' she thought with a silent giggle. She shed off her yukata and slipped into the water before making her way towards the boy she loved. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rubbed her breasts against his back. He stiffened in her grasp and she asked, "What's wrong, Ryuji-kun? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She then heard a different voice, "Yeah, do you mind telling me why you're hugging my boyfriend?"

Kotonoha's eyes snapped open. She backed away and she realized the person she was hugging had short and silver hair, not long and black hair. She looked over the person's shoulder to see Neko, waving. "Neko-san?" She gasped in realization, "Kenzaki-san?"

Kenzaki didn't dare to turn around but he blushed and nodded.

Overwhelm with embarrassment, Kotonoha was about to shriek when Neko covered her mouth. "Shush!" Neko placed a finger against her own lips. "We don't want anyone else finding out we snuck in here." She removed her hand from Kotonoha's mouth.

"What are you doing here? Where's Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha asked frantically. "He was supposed to meet me here."

Both Kenzaki and Neko could only guess where their two fellow Riders had gone to.

* * *

"Target is in sight," grinned Kat. "Let's grab it and bag it." She was about to walk over to it when she felt Ryuji's hand on her shoulder. Annoyed, she hissed, "What?"

"I have the strange feeling that we're getting watched," he said and then his watch suddenly began to beep. "What the? An Imagin?"

"Just turn it off!"

Ryuji's watch instantly went into compass mode to tell him where the Imagin was and his eyes widened behind his goggles. "Shimatta (oh, no)!"

"What now?" sighed Kat.

"The Imagin, it's…"

"Here," both heard a growl and the two Yin Hasuma siblings spun around to see who'd spoken.

The Imagin was donned in Samurai armour, but it was more extravagant that normal. It traveled all over its body, but looked like it was made of scales rather than leather or metal. Two swords hung at its hips, sheathed in ornate scabbards. There was even a cape hanging from its shoulders. The face which the siblings assumed to be a mask was in fact a real Oni face, horns and all.

"Ryuji Hasuma," the Shogun Imagin spoke. "I am here to split you up!"

"Huh?" Ryuji and Kat blinked at the same time.

Drawing its swords, the Shogun Imagin crossed them in an X formation. Raising them, it slashed, creating a wave in the shape of an X. Both Hasuma siblings didn't even bother thinking before they reacted. The duo dodge rolled from the Imagin's attack. Both quickly got to their feet before they decided to make some tracks.

"To be honest, I blame you for this," said Ryuji to Kat as they made some distance between themselves and the Imagin.

* * *

"Look what I found in his futon," said Kenzaki as he held up a deflated blow up doll.

"What is that thing?" asked Kotonoha. It looked like a balloon in the shape of a man.

"There are just some things you aren't meant to know," said Kenzaki, disturbed. "Neko, you find anything?"

"Yes," Neko nodded as she walked over to the two with a deflated blowup doll as well, this time female. "I found this in Kat-neechan's futon." Rose was with her as well having woken up when her bedmate had deflated. "Rosie-chan was hugging it."

"I thought it was Kat, okay?" Rose said defensively.

"But if these were in their futons, where are they now?" asked Kotonoha.

"That's a good question," said Gekiryuken.

"Wherever they are, Kat must be causing trouble," muttered Kenzaki.

* * *

Kat was smashed against the wall by the Shogun Imagin's fist as it continued to try and strike Ryuji down. Ryuji already had his Pass out but the enemy Imagin wasn't even giving him a chance to transform. Kat, on the other hand, was pissed off. She hated being sucker-punched and then ignored. Summoning her transformation belt, she took out her transformation card and slid it into the belt buckle. "Henshin!" she called out.

Ryuji, meanwhile, was dodging sword slashes meant to slice him into little pieces. Whoever had made a wish with this Imagin definitely had a beef with him. Whatever it was had to wait because now Ryuji was dodging from the attack.

Suddenly, a black and purple ball of energy slammed into the Imagin's back, sending it crashing into the wall with explosive force. Ryuji looked over to see his sister in her CopyKat armor with her right hand aimed at the spot where the Imagin had stood. "Hey, what are you waiting for?"

Nodding, Ryuji activated his belt and slid in the Pass. "Henshin!"

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

With the armor completely formed, Ifrit spoke, "Let me tell you this from the start; I am pretty ticked off!"

The Shogun Imagin got back to its feet and growled, "Who the hell are you?"

"Fighting for my pride and my personal gain. The Dark Queen of Beasts. RinJyu Lioness-Ken! Kamen Rider CopyKat!" announced CopyKat as she went through a complex kata and got into a stance.

"Fighting with the infernal power of the demons. From the depths of hell I come forth. The Infernal claws of the Efreet. GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Kamen Rider Ifrit!" announced Ifrit as he too got into a stance after a complex kata.

The Shogun Imagin spat, "Whatever. You're both dead!" The Imagin gripped both blades and charged at the duo. Ifrit and CopyKat gave each other nods before charging straight back at the Imagin.

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling your sister is up to no good?" asked Kenzaki as he, Neko, Rose and Kotonoha stood in the lobby together.

"Ken-kun, you always think Kat-neechan is up to no good," said Neko.

"Kenzaki-sama does have a point, Ojou-sama," said Gekiryuken. "Your sister isn't the most stable person around."

"But you can't expect her to be doing something bad because of that."

"Then where is she?" Kenzaki asked.

"I don't know," Neko shook her head. She wanted to defend Kat but she knew her twin and Yin half was probably out causing trouble. She always did that when bored.

Kotonoha was also wondering where Ryuji was. Where had he gone to? With Kat? Why? What could possibly be so important compared to spending time with his girlfriend?

"She's obviously out there causing trouble like she usually does," Rose said with narrowed eyes. Kat had even promised to cuddle and Rose ended up hugging a blowup doll instead. "That's what she does when she's bored."

* * *

"Gengi! Jigoku Tsume!"

"Ringi! Resshuken!"

A claw slash from Ifrit emblazed in blue flames connected with the Shogun Imagin's chest, ripping off sparks and covering the attacked area in ice. Then, CopyKat went into a flurry of movements, striking with an impressive and violent combo of brutal punches and kicks that caused the Imagin to grunt and howl in pain as she continued to attack. One last haymaker sent the Imagin skidding across the floor.

"I'm not through yet!" the Shogun Imagin growled. "RAIDEN-GIRI!!"

Slashing one of his blades, a wave of electricity cut through the air towards the pair. If their helmets weren't shielding their sense of scent, they would have smelled the electricity burning the air. Dodging to the side, the attack collided with a statue, blowing up a portion of it before knocking the remaining bit over.

"Woah!" CopyKat cried as she leaped to the side and dodge the collapsing statue.

"Watch it!" Ifrit shouted at the rising Shogun Imagin. Even if he didn't care about the artifacts, Kotonoha had enjoyed coming here to the museum. "There are priceless artifacts here!"

"I don't care as long as I can slice you apart!" the Shogun Imagin roared as he charged.

"I guess it's time to drop the kid gloves, huh?" asked CopyKat.

"I believe so!" nodded Ifrit. He closed his eyes and focused his Mythical Ki, his gold aura rising. CopyKat's black and purple aura also flared out.

"GenJyu Ifrit-Ken! Gengi!"

"RinJyu Lioness-Ken! Ringi!"

"JIGOKUHA!"

"SHISHI HOKOHA!"

* * *

Neko let out a gasp which alerted Kenzaki and soon he was feeling it too. Kotonoha didn't know what was happening so she asked the couple, "What's going on? What was that?"

"I felt an energy spike!" answered Gekiryuken.

"I sense Genki and Rinki," said Kenzaki.

"It must be them then!" Kotonoha responded. Oh, when Ryuji came back she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

* * *

The smoke cloud cleared from where the two powerful techniques had struck and aside from some ruined museum property, the Shogun Imagin was gone.

"Damn!" the two Yin Riders cursed.

"He got away," grumbled Ifrit.

"OK, so now let's grab the belt," said CopyKat.

Ifrit shook his head, "No, let's abort the mission."

"What? Why?" CopyKat whined.

"Because by now Koto-chan must be wondering where I am. Let's get out of here."

"OK, fine!" CopyKat huffed.

"Rose is going to kill you if you don't get back too," Ryuji commented, not liking the unsaid comment of how whipped he was by Kotonoha which he could tell from her tone.

"…shut up," Kat blushed. It wasn't her fault she'd do anything for Rosie-chan. Or was it really her fault?

* * *

The pair walked through the front door of the inn only to find an irate Kotonoha and Rose waiting for them. Kenzaki and Neko were off to the side, waiting for the fireworks.

"Are we busted?" Ryuji asked, feeling the weight on his shoulders now as he felt Kotonoha's glare on him.

"Oh yes, Ifrit-chan," Kat mumbled. "We are SO busted."

* * *

The Shogun Imagin watched the police crowd around the museum after the Riders and it had vacated. Their fight had set off the silent alarms. Being interrupted or having the opponent running away was something that annoyed the Shogun Imagin to no end.

In the larger picture, this was good. The Shogun Imagin's contractor had wished to split up Ryuji Hasuma and Kotonoha Katsura. Since the two were in a relationship, they were going to be together a good portion of the day. The Shogun Imagin would be able to find them together much more easily in that case.

Sheathing its swords, the Shogun Imagin leaped away to find a hiding place for the night.

* * *

It was the second day of the field trip and the students were once again exploring Kyoto. They'd gone into town for some souvenirs. However, two couples weren't happy. Kotonoha and Rose walked in front while two depressed Kamen Riders walked behind their irate girlfriends.

Today, Kotonoha was giving Ryuji the silent treatment, only responding with glares. She didn't want to speak to him right now nor was he allowed to touch her in any way. He hated it when she did this. He loved holding her hand, hugging her, kissing her, and making love. Most of all, he loved talking to her. He loved hearing the sound of her voice.

"This…sucks," stated Ryuji.

Kotonoha was mad for two reasons. The first was because she'd been humiliated after accidentally mistaking Kenzaki for Ryuji. The second reason was because he'd broken his promise to her. She hated it when people lied to her like that. Makoto had done so before.

"Tell me about it," agreed Kat.

Things weren't any better for Kat either. Rose had scolded her in English and Kat felt powerless and couldn't say a word to defend herself. Then, Rose devised the most horrifying punishment ever.

"At least she talks to you," retorted Ryuji.

"Yeah, but I won't be 'getting any' for 3 weeks," sulked Kat. "You know what that's like?"

Ryuji sympathized with Kat but the two of them had to endure. This was their punishment for breaking their promises to their girls.

Kenzaki could only smirk victoriously as Ryuji and Kat got in trouble with their own girlfriends for a change. Currently, he was with her in a souvenir store buying souvenirs for their friends back on the GaroLiner.

* * *

Eventually, Kotonoha felt like talking again, but it wasn't pleasant. She had Ryuji sit in the seiza position (sitting on his knees with his legs underneath) back at the inn while she continued to glare at him. The Rider was at his wits end. He just wanted to hear his love talk to him again!

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha finally spoke. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Huh?" Ryuji blinked.

"You promised that we would meet up in the hot springs to spend some time alone together," Kotonoha frowned. "Why did you lie about that?"

"I didn't lie!" Ryuji cried. "I was honestly expecting to be back before that time rolled around! Honest! If that Imagin hadn't shown up…!"

"The Imagin that interrupted you from stealing that belt!" Kotonoha snapped. "Ryuji-kun, I thought you weren't going to try and steal it! Not only did I find out on the news that you were there, but Kat-san was helping!"

"I'm sorry, Koto-chan!" Ryuji cried. "But Rider systems are dangerous! Age isn't going to stop one from working, especially if its train is still active! Sooner or later someone would find out how it works and they may use it to hurt people! I couldn't let that happen!"

Kotonoha tapped her foot on the ground, considering the answer. Finally, she spoke, "Those are all good reasons, but the fact remains that you broke the law, kept a secret from me, broke your promise, lied to me and tried to steal something. You need to be punished."

"Ulp!" Ryuji gulped.

"To that end, here is your punishment," Kotonoha announced. "When we get back home, we are going to be sleeping together like usual. I will be sleeping in the nude, but you are not allowed to touch me. If you do, you will not be allowed to have wild make-up sex with me the following morning."

"Noooo!" Ryuji moaned, clutching his hair. "I'll never make it until morning!"

* * *

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" snarled Kat as she saw how Kenzaki was smirking smugly.

"I don't want to brag, but this is the most fun I've had in a long time," said Kenzaki. Kenzaki, Neko, Rose and Kat had spent the rest of the day together but unfortunately for Kat she had to endure the Wolf and female Dragon Rider being all lovey-dovey while Rose wasn't allowing her to even hold her hand. It was just extremely depressing for the RinJyuKen artist as she sulked. "And you had it coming since you tried to break me and Neko up."

"Geez, I make one mistake and everyone's against me!" Kat crossed her arms. "I was just having fun."

"Well, it backfired," quipped Kenzaki.

"Well, enjoy your relationship with Neko for as long as you can, Kenny," said Kat snidely. Kenzaki narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently before she waved, "Tootles," and skipped away.

'_She's up to something_,' Kenzaki thought. Like Kotonoha, he too had found out about the break in at the museum. It could only be her and she had Ryuji helping her. '_I __gotta keep my eye on her_.'

* * *

"Konichiwa, Katsura-san," Hiroshi greeted the dark haired girl.

"Oh, konichiwa, Manabe-san," Kotonoha greeted right back, smiling. She was currently alone in the inn. She'd sent Ryuji out to get a few things and desperate for her forgiveness he'd gone hastily to get them.

"So, where's Hasuma?" Hiroshi asked hopefully.

"I sent him to get me a few things," she answered. It was a long list of things he was expected to buy for her. He could afford them, no doubt.

"Well, while he's way, can we talk?" he requested.

"I don't see why not," Kotonoha shrugged.

'_Excellent_,' thought Hiroshi. The pair walked to a more disclosed spot. Kotonoha seemed to be politely listening so Hiroshi decided to just go ahead and state his case.

"I really think you should break up with Hasuma," Hiroshi stated plainly.

"What?" Kotonoha blinked.

"Don't you see? He's in no way right for you!" Hiroshi argued. "The guy is the poster child for delinquency! He's been beating the snot out of that bunch of guys ever since they met and I heard you drew a blade on them! I know for a fact that you wouldn't have done that before you met him!"

"Because I was so soft spoken before," Kotonoha replied. "I didn't have the courage to speak out before I met Ryuji-kun. He taught me how to defend myself and how to be honest about my feelings."

"He's corrupting you!" Hiroshi cried. "He's turning you into a delinquent too!"

"He is not," Kotonoha frowned. "I'm not a delinquent and Ryuji-kun may be aggressive, but he doesn't pick fights for no reason. You and the KLLA keep attacking him first."

"He's ruining you!" Hiroshi cried, grabbing Kotonoha's wrists. "And I am going to save you no matter what!"

"Please, let me go! You're hurting me!" she cried out.

"I'll show you that you're better off without him," he said angrily.

"I said let me go!" Kotonoha shouted as her eyes flashed green and her hair got done up in a ponytail with a green streak in it. Hiroshi found himself swung around and tossed against the wall before the girl got in his face and slammed her palm on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. She gripped his shirt and hauled him down to face level.

Kotonoha was now under the possession of her Imagin partner and had become A-Kotonoha. Athena had taken over Kotonoha's body when she sensed the danger and quickly decided to show this male his place.

"Don't you EVER touch me like that, you understand me?" said A-Kotonoha in a commanding voice. Hiroshi was speechless as his image of an angel had turned a complete 180. This was not the Kotonoha he envisioned. "Whom I choose to date is none of your business! And for the record the one who's in control of this relationship is me, not him! Got that?" She swung her fist at his face. He shut his eyes and he heard a loud 'bang'. When he opened his eyes, he could see a hole had been punched into the wall next to his head. Hiroshi gulped and began to sweat as A-Kotonoha let him go. He fell down on his rear and gawked at A-Kotonoha.

'_Athena, I think you went too far_,' said Kotonoha.

'_If you're too soft, males will take advantage walk over you. By the way, I am proud of how you handled your male_,' replied Athena proudly.

A-Kotonoha snorted with her head up high and left Hiroshi there. The boy gritted his teeth and gripped his fists. This was all Ryuji's fault. This just proved that he was corrupting Kotonoha. Well, the sooner Ryuji was out of the picture, the sooner Kotonoha would be her sweet and gentle self and a proper lady. Not that person who'd just manhandled him.

* * *

Kat hated doing this but Rose had demanded she do so. Wanting to get her 'nookie' privileges back soon, Kat complied. That was why Kat was performing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony under a parasol with her and Rose sitting on a blanket.

Kat was clad in a beautiful black kimono with her hair in a bun, making the green tea for Rose in a bowl with the proper instruments. Contrary to popular belief, Kat was well versed in performing the Japanese tea ceremony. It had been one of the things her mother had taught her about being a lady along with flower arranging. She just never applied those lessons and was a bit rusty. Rose wasn't complaining. The kimono looked lovely on Kat. Kat, however, found it uncomfortable and itchy.

Kenzaki and Neko weren't too far away and watching all this happening. The GekiJyu Wolf-Ken was taking pictures of this. So much for Kat's reputation.

"Ne, Ken-kun?" said Neko.

"Yeah, Neko?" he responded.

"Do you think I'll look good in a kimono like that?" she asked.

Kenzaki suddenly imagined what Neko would look like in a kimono and smiled, "You'd look amazing!"

"Then let's go buy one!" she said excitedly before grabbing his hand and dragging him away.

* * *

"I wished for them to be split up!" Hiroshi snapped. "Why hasn't that happened yet?"

Hiroshi was sitting alone in a room, save for one guest. This guest was the familiar figure of the Shogun Imagin that Ryuji and Kat had fought off the previous night. It was calmly sharpening his blades as Hiroshi berated the creature.

"This isn't instantaneous," the Shogun Imagin shrugged. "I have to actually find them first."

"Well then get to it!" Hiroshi growled. "I own you so hurry it up already!"

That was when Hiroshi found his hair in and iron grip and a blade at his neck. His face turned pale and he lost the feeling in his extremities. The Shogun Imagin was glaring at him and letting the cold steel rest against the boy's throat.

"Now let's get something straight. You do not own me and you cannot control me," the Shogun Imagin growled as it let Hiroshi go. "Once I grant your wish then you'll never see me again. Besides, I have the perfect plan."

"What?" Hiroshi coughed.

"Something involving a little bait," the Shogun Imagin smirked as its eyes lingered on a newspaper depicting the scene at the museum.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: What is the Shogun Imagin'a plan? Can the belt still be used? What is gonna happen next? And will Neko look good in a kimono? Well, check again for the NEXT update to find out.


	18. Guardian Dragons of Kyoto

Bobby and Cathy, both alone at home without their guardians, decided to drop by the Katsura residence to visit Kokoro. The three of them got along handsomely and while Kokoro had a crush on her sister's boyfriend, she admired Kat and Neko for being strong female role-models as the Kamen Riders Ryukendo and CopyKat. Of course, with the present absence of said Riders as well as her sister and Ryuji, Kokoro felt bored. At least she didn't feel lonely with Athena, Loki and Eros around the house.

Athena had vanished a while ago before coming back. The only explanation she gave Kokoro was that her sister needed some help. Kokoro wasn't sure what kind of help her sister needed but it had to be important.

Bobby and Cathy had both ranked at 25th and 24th for their midterm exams. Not too shabby for them. Though, Kat wondered how someone like Bobby could still score so well when he spent most of his time watching anime on TV. His only answer was a smug reply. He'd said, "Well, that's what you call divine intelligence."

Bobby and Cathy hated it that they couldn't go to Kyoto but what else could they do. They'd tried to sneak aboard the bus but their guardians had caught them. Bobby hated being treated like a child but there wasn't much he could do but to obey his 'Big Sis'.

Bobby remembered how they'd started as partner. It'd been a rocky road for the two of them but they soon found mutual respect for each other. Though Kat didn't like boys all that much she could make a few exceptions. Luckily for Bobby, he was among the exceptions. Plus, this meant that he was allowed to date Cathy.

Though he was a Saint Beast, he was still pretty much human in his human form. He only assumed his Saint Beast form whenever it was required like fighting the giant mechas GIN-SHOCKER would send. Now, GIN-SHOCKER was bad news. Really bad news. Luckily, they had opposition from the Kamen Riders.

Presently, out of boredom, Kokoro, Cathy and Bobby were playing Poker while using Oreo cookies as betting chips. Eros also participated.

"Raise," Bobby called as he put another cookie in the middle. "You guys in?"

"I'm out," Eros sighed, putting down his cards.

"I'm in," Cathy smiled as she put in a cookie.

"Me too!" Kokoro nodded while putting in her own cookie.

"Then show 'em," Bobby grinned as he revealed his card. "Straight!"

"Straight Flush!" Cathy grinned, revealing five hearts in order from two to six.

"Um…what is it called when I have the cards with pictures on them and they're all the same color?" asked Kokoro as she revealed her hand.

"ROYAL STRAIGHT FLUSH!?" Bobby and Cathy cried in shock.

"Really?" Kokoro blinked. She then smiled. "Yay! I win!" She took in her winnings happily.

"Is it just me, or is she incredibly lucky at this game?" Bobby whispered to Cathy.

"I'm more worried about what Kotonoha-neechan will think when she finds out we've been teaching Kokoro-chan how to gamble," the mutant girl responded.

Kokoro had cookies piled up in front of her. By the end of the game, they would eat their winnings. Kokoro already had a glass of cold milk to dunk her cookies in.

"Wonder what they are doing right now, though?" Kokoro questioned.

* * *

"**GUARDIAN DRAGONS OF KYOTO"**

* * *

It'd been a long day for Ryuji. He'd served Kotonoha on hand and foot. Basically it was his punishment for lying and breaking his promise. He hated how it made him feel. He was no better than Makoto in that regard. Right now, he just wanted to rest up. At least the day hadn't been so horrible.

Kotonoha had posed for him in a beautiful snow white kimono decorated by pink cherry blossoms. It really brought out the beauty of her eyes. She looked elegant and mature. The perfect girl for him. Then he had to buy the damn thing. Well, it was money well spent. Then, he had to buy souvenirs to bring home, spent using the money out of his pockets. He'd only planned on buying a few but Kotonoha wanted to buy a lot of stuff. He toughed it out. She would burn a hole in his wallet but he would get the money back. They did manage to have a romantic lunch date together.

While that was happening, Kat had shown Rose around Kyoto as well, seeing the sights and taking pictures. Kat was so desperate to get her 'nookie' privileges back so soon that she was willing to do anything for Rose. It didn't matter if it was performing a tea ceremony or going to Cinema Town to dress up. Now, that had been interesting…

* * *

_Cinema Town was basically an open air film studio. Samurai Movies would be shot here since its setting was like a traditional Japanese town. Visitors could even purchase costumes to play dress up. Also, sometimes the actors would get the visitors to play along. _

_Kotonoha had dolled herself up to look just like a princess while Ryuji himself was dressed as a noble samurai. He even had his hair up in a samurai's ponytail to add to the effect._

"_Sugoi," Kotonoha said in amazement, "Ryuji-kun, you look like a real samurai."_

_Playing along, Ryuji knelt down and bowed, "I shall serve you until my dying breath, __Hime__-sama." That just made her blush and some visitors took pictures as well._

_At the same time, Rose was dressed as an English lady from the late 19__th__ century, wearing a gown and hat as well as holding a parasol while Kat herself was dressed as a Shinsengumi member. She looked extremely bishonen dressed up in those clothes. Some girls even took pictures of the duo, assuming Kat was male. She didn't correct them. She was just too awed by her beloved's beauty._

"_Come, noble samurai. Escort me," Rose said._

"_Very well, my lady," Kat bowed. More pictures were taken. _

_Neko was dressed as a shrine priestess and Kenzaki put on a monk's outfit. They looked good together and Neko herself was having fun._

_Basically, all of the students who came to Cinema Town dressed up. Well, most of them at least. Some just wanted to see all the people 'cosplaying'._

_The couples made their way through the village, enjoying the scenery. They even acted through some scenes with the park actors. At one point, they pretended to be on a grand quest like a certain half-demon and his friends in the feudal era._

_At one point, Ryuji spotted a weird character leaning against the wall of a building. He was donned in blue clothes and his face was hidden. Metal forearm guards and shin guards were adorned on him, but the spiked shoulder pad was new to him. He had an overlarge double-edged kunai in his hand too._

_Ryuji had done a double take, but the guy was already gone. Still, he wasn't going to let one weird guy ruin his fun time with Kotonoha._

* * *

In a lot of ways, Kotonoha was a princess. She was wealthy, had a good heart, kind and could keep him in line. She was a good influence on him too. Years ago, he wouldn't have even thought about playing dress up. That night when he'd gone to steal the belt was the first time in a long time when he'd nearly reverted to his old ways. He wasn't going to do that anymore but the idea of the belt just lying there still bothered him. He knew he had to get it but to take it now would mean stealing. That was the dilemma and it was giving him a headache.

Ryuji's cell phone rang and he took it out of his pocket. Checking the messages, he found one Kotonoha had just sent. When he opened it up and read it, he smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was walking towards the museum but something was off about him. His stance was different and sand would fall off him at every step he took, leaving a trail. The museum's gate was crawling with police who were assigned as extra security after last night's break in. They weren't going to let anyone else in after dark after what'd happened and would continue to do so until the danger had passed. There were priceless treasures in the museum, most which were irreplaceable.

Hiroshi walked towards the gate and one of the officers pointed his flashlight at him. "Hey, kid! The museum's closed. Go home!" Hiroshi didn't listen and continued to approach the gate. "Hey, I said beat it."

"I think not," spoke Hiroshi, only it wasn't his voice. He flicked his hands and produced a pair of swords before charging at the cops. He swiped his swords in a flurry of moves and the cops never knew what hit them before they dropped to the ground. The swords vanished and Hiroshi tore the gate open before making his way into the museum.

It was easy getting in. All he had to do was to break down the door and enter. He made his way towards the one item that had any sort of meaning and was valued well above these artifacts if these fools knew what they were keeping. When he reached it, he brought up his arm and smashed his fist through the glass. Reaching inside, he grabbed it before walking away. Alarms blared and he ignored them. He was leaving anyway. Sand continued to trail behind him.

* * *

Kotonoha was in her school uniform and waiting for Ryuji at the onsen. She'd sent him a text message stating she wanted to meet him here, alone.

They had spent the entire day together and she'd been lavished by his undivided attention. That was what she wanted, really. To enjoy a fieldtrip with her boyfriend. Eating together, shopping together, seeing the sights together and finally dressing up at Cinema Town. She'd never had so much fun in ages and wanted to do more tomorrow. Tonight, however, she was going to give him a special treat. Since he was being such a good boy today, she might as well give him a reward.

A clunking sound caught her attention, making her look up. She had been hoping to see Ryuji, but instead she saw Hiroshi stumbling towards her. She frowned slightly, remembering what he tried to do when they last talked. For a moment, she was going to tell him to leave, but then she noticed that he had a familiar stone belt in his hand.

"Where did-?" Kotonoha gasped out before she found a sword with sand falling out of it at her neck.

"You will be coming with me," Hiroshi grinned. "Your samurai will be joining us shortly."

Kotonoha eyes flashed and suddenly Athena jumped out her body. "You shall do no such thing!" Drawing her sword, Athena attacked the man who tried to assault her mistress. Unfortunately, dark shapes flew out of the bushes and ambushed the female Imagin.

"Athena!" Kotonoha cried but then got punched in the stomach. She was knocked out instantly and the possessed Hiroshi took hold of her and slung her over his shoulder before leaping away as Athena was currently busy.

* * *

Ryuji was on his way to meet with Kotonoha when his watch started beeping frantically. When he saw the compass, he got the shock of his life and ran down the hallway. He ran past Kenzaki, Neko, Rose and Kat who wondered what his sudden rush was for but knowing Ryuji, they knew it had to be something important. Therefore, they decided to follow him.

* * *

A black clad figure was thrown into the water as Athena fought back with all her might. She was a proud Amazon warrior and she deemed to prove it. Throwing stars flew at her and she deflected them but several of the dark figures came at her with swords.

"Come at me!" she challenged.

"NYAO NYAO DAN!"

"GOYU KOHA!"

"RO RO DAN!"

An aura cat, wolf and lioness flew out from nowhere and started to maul the black figures. This gave Athena some time and room to breathe as she saw the four Riders who were still in civvies and Rose running towards her.

"Athena!" shouted Ryuji. "Where's Koto-chan?"

"Some bastard took her," said Athena.

After the aura beasts faded away, Ryuji recognize the black clad figures. They were all dressed in the same ninja garb he'd seen earlier that day in Cinema Town. He walked over to one of them and hauled him up to his face. "Where is Koto-chan?"

"You'll never get me to talk," the ninja spat. Ryuji could sense he wasn't talking to a human and his watch told him that this ninja was indeed an Imagin, just like all the other ninjas that were lying around in pain after the combined Gekiwaza and Ringi attack.

"You don't have to," said Ryuji. "Kat, can you read his mind?"

Kat smirked, "Just give me a minute." She strode forward and grasped the Ninja Imagin's mind in her hands. Her eyes glowed as she dove into its brain. The Ninja Imagin's eyes went wide as its mind was being violated by Kat's telepathy. Its brain was being torn apart for information. When Kat was done, she removed her hands and the Imagin dissolved to sand. "Damn, I must've overdone it."

"You didn't have to fry his brain," said Kenzaki.

"Sorry, but when I do that, it always happens," shrugged Kat. "But we do know where Kotonoha is. Follow me."

"I'm coming too," Athena volunteered.

"Not a bad idea," said Gekiryuken. "There could be more of these ruffians."

"Right," agreed Kotonoha. "But these guys are Imagin. What are we going to do with them?" No sooner after she'd said that, all the Ninja Imagin that were lying around dissolved into sand.

"Since that's been taken care of, let's go," ordered Ryuji. "I hate to think what they're doing to her right now."

* * *

Kotonoha was tied to a tree that was in an open field. She struggled but her bonds were tight but she could still glare at Hiroshi who was sitting down on a stool, waiting. Lying at his feet was the stone Rider belt.

"Let me go, Manabe-san!" Kotonoha demanded.

"Shut up." Hiroshi growled. Sand poured out of his body before forming to create the Shogun Imagin. Hiroshi just collapsed onto the ground. He was unconscious and completely unaware of what was happening. "I am doing this to bring your lover here."

"Why do you want Ryuji-kun?" Kotonoha gasped out.

"Simple." The Shogun Imagin answered as it kicked Hiroshi. "His wish was to split you two up. Convenient since Master Nanimo wants you both dead anyway."

"Nanimo," Kotonoha growled, saying the name of the person who'd caused her and her love so much pain like a curse.

A roaring noise caught the attention of the pair. Looking out in the distance, they saw two motorcycles speeding towards them. One was from the Garo-Hunter with Kenzaki and Neko riding on it. The other came from Dyno-Breaker with Ryuji and Kat on it.

"And the players arrive," the Shogun Imagin smirked as he drew his swords.

The Riders dismounted their rides with Ryuji in the lead. He wasn't happy. He saw Hiroshi's unconscious form and recognized him as one of the KLLA's new members. He was going to have a word with him later.

"Alright, teme," growled Ryuji. "Let Koto-chan go."

"I'm afraid not," said the Shogun Imagin. Ryuji was ready to make him change his mind when a sword tip was pointed at Kotonoha's throat. "Ah, ah, ah," the Shogun Imagin said. "I don't think you want this pretty girl to get hurt."

Ryuji gritted his teeth. Kotonoha was in danger and Athena was injured from her fight with the Ninja Imagin army and still recovering. The others were ready to act but with Kotonoha as a hostage, their options were limited.

"Oh, by the way, I also have this," said the Shogun Imagin as he showed them the stone belt from the museum. Ryuji and Kat's eyes widened. "Remember it? It's the belt you wanted to steal from the museum."

Kenzaki and Neko knew all about it really and weren't very happy with what Ryuji and Kat had tried to do. Still, the belt was now in the Imagin's hand.

"So…it's pretty simple, really? You can either choose the girl or the belt. I wonder what Master Nanimo will do once he gets this belt," the Shogun Imagin chuckled.

"Nanimo," growled Ryuji. "You're working for him?"

Kenzaki eyes were narrowed too. This Imagin knew Nanimo. It was a lead in the right direction.

"Yes, and he told me how defective you were as a soldier so he wanted me to kill you," the Imagin snickered. "But he also wanted to make you suffer." The blade of the sword was now resting under Kotonoha's chin and she trembled in fear. Ryuji's fists were clenched.

"Ryuji…kun…" Kotonoha said in fear.

"It's okay, Koto-chan," said Ryuji. "It's going to be okay."

"Alright, you bastard!" snarled Kat. "What do you want?"

"Oh, it's simple, really," the Imagin said as he drew a line on the grass with his other sword. "Just toss over your transformation devices and I'll let the girl go."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" asked Neko.

"You really want to risk it?" the Imagin countered.

Without any other options with Kotonoha's life on the line, the Riders one by one remove their henshin devices. Ryuji and Kenzaki tossed over their passes, Neko tossed over Gekiryuken and finally Kat tossed over her Byakko card. Without those items, they couldn't transform.

The Shogun Imagin stared at the pile and snickered. "Well, then, looks like it's time to set her free. But first…" He snapped his fingers and several Ninja Imagin jumped out of hiding. "You're all going to die!"

"Teme!" Ryuji and Kat cursed.

The Ninja Imagin surrounded the four Riders and the Shogun Imagin picked up the items, saying, "These will make great gifts for Nanimo. Trophies, really, as a reminder of your foolishness and defeat." He turned towards Kotonoha. "And now, to grant my contractor's wish, I shall split her apart." He gripped his sword, "And I mean that literally." He brought up his sword to slice her in half.

"Yamerro!" shouted Ryuji as he tried to fight his way through the Ninja Imagin, freezing them even, but he wasn't going to make it. "KOTO-CHAN!"

"RYUJI-KUN!" Kotonoha shouted as she screwed her eyes shut. Tears fell from her eyes as her life was about to end.

CLANG!

Instead of flesh meeting flesh, it was steel meeting steel. Kotonoha opened her eyes and saw a familiar warrior wearing a black skull helmet and holding a black claymore against the Shogun Imagin's katana. "Forget about me?" stated Wraith before he sent the Imagin staggering backwards with a well aimed kick to the midsection. He then used another kick to knock off the items that were in the Shogun Imagin's other hand. "Guys! Now!"

As for Kotonoha, her ropes were loosened by Athena who'd come to her aid. "Let's go," said the Imagin as she took Kotonoha away to take cover from the fight.

Among the items that were on the ground was the stone belt and Ryuji had his eyes on it. It was tempting but he knew it wasn't his no matter how much he wanted to believe it. It was museum property. Tossing a couple of frozen Ninja Imagin aside, he ran for the items and then tossed them to their owners, "Neko, Kenzaki, Kat! Catch!"

The three Riders caught their respective henshin items and then activated them.

"Henshin!" Kat and Kenzaki called out after summoning their belts and activating them.

"Gekiryu Henshin!" Neko shouted out after turning Gekiryuken into his sword form.

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

Instantly, their armors encased them. Now, the Ninja Imagin army and Shogun Imagin were going to feel their full wrath. Wraith and Shogun continued their deadly dance with their swords as Garoh and Ryukendo fought off the Ninja Imagin with their swords. CopyKat was using her axes to violently hack and slash at any Ninja Imagin that was in her way.

As for Ryuji, as soon as he touched the stone belt, it suddenly glowed. Once the glowing died down, he was holding in his hand a gunmetal colored belt with a square buckle that looked like jaws with golden teeth instead of one made of stone. To the right of a buckle was a set of square buttons in a vertical row. From top to bottom order, the buttons were black, red, white and blue. What more, there was a pass stuck in between the 'jaws'. It slipped out and fell at his feet. The rail pass was red in color with golden flames around the border and the symbol on it resembled the belt buckle. The symbol was a pair of sharp jaws holding an 'X' in the centre. He pocketed his own pass and picked up the new one. He gazed down at both the pass and belt and grinned. "The museum can wait," he said to himself before standing up.

Kotonoha saw what'd happened to the belt and gasped. Was Ryuji going to use it? Yes, he was and she knew he would. She couldn't fault him. It was his belt if the belt had changed from stone when he touched it.

He could see Wraith and the other Riders fighting the Imagin and they were having a hard time against the Shogun and its Ninjas. Now it was time to even the odds. He slung the belt around his waist and fastened it on. With a grin, he said, "I wonder what I'll turn into with this. Well, guess I'll find out." He pressed the black button that was at the top of the set and the belt released a piercing roar like a tiger. This caught the attention of the Riders. Also, the empty grey area between the jaws turned black with a blue 'X' in it like the one that was on the pass.

"No way!" shouted the Shogun Imagin in disbelief.

"Henshin!" Ryuji called out as he swiftly swiped the Dyno Pass over the belt buckle.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

Energy shards encased his body, turning into a black bodysuit with gunmetal grey torso armor with a silver stripe running down the middle, matching gauntlets and boots. A black helmet with a silver mouthplate and a train track running down the middle also formed. There were silver rings around his wrists and ankles. Then, additional armor appeared and snapped onto his torso. The chestplate was black with matching rounded shoulder armor. Finally a black 'mask' came down over his helmet and snapped onto the faceplate. The mask had horizontal slits and two sharp points at the top corners and two long points at the bottom corners to resemble fangs. His gauntlets and boots also turned black with the rings around the wrists and ankles turning silver. Attached to both sides of his belt were black bars, the DynoGasher, with two on each side. The slits of the 'mask' flashed red as blue flames encircled Ifrit, reaching up to his knees.

The new Ifrit looked up at the stunned Imagin and Riders before announcing, "Prepare for extinction!" He then summoned his Ifrit Dao and Sub-Zero Shooter in his hands before charging forward.

Several Ninja Imagin leaped at the new Ifrit, hoping to take him down. Calmly, Ifrit aimed his Shooter at them and opened fire. The closest Ninja Imagin suddenly exploded as the bullets tore through it. Undaunted, the others Ninjas charged.

"Let's go!" Ifrit roared as he charged at the enemies.

The first Ninja Imagin was cut cleanly before exploding. Ifrit continued his rampage by slashing through the remaining ones as he dashed towards the Shogun Imagin.

"I will kill you! FOR NANIMO!!" the Shogun Imagin roared as it charged with its blades.

"Urusei!" Ifrit growled as he slashed at the one who dared to threaten his love.

Using a single slash, the Shogun Imagin's swords shattered like glass and a glowing cut spread across its chest. It wasn't deep, but it certainly hurt. Ifrit banished his Shooter before he brought out his new Rider Pass.

"No one lays a hand on my Koto-chan," he growled before he brought it to his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!!**"

He tossed the pass aside. Blue energy zigzagged from belt and into the hilt of his Chinese broad sword and the blade began to glow bright blue. Gripping it in both hands, he let out a roar and executed a powerful horizontal slash across the Shogun Imagin's midsection. The Shogun Imagin managed to scream out, "FOR NANIMO!!!" before its entire body froze in ice and which was followed by an explosion. Ifrit banished his sword and then turned to look at Kotonoha.

The other Riders were amazed not only by Ifrit's new transformation but by the power and speed he'd displayed while fighting the Imagin.

"Looks like my dark otouto just leveled up," smirked CopyKat.

"Sugoi," said Kotonoha as she walked over to Ifrit. She looked him over and he stared at her back. Reaching up, he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

"I guess now you want me to return the belt, right?" asked Ryuji.

"A part of me does want that," said Kotonoha as she ran her hands up and down his hard chestplate. "But another part of me also likes it."

Ryuji grinned, "I hope it's a strong part."

The other Riders and Athena rolled their eyes at the affection the two were displaying before Wraith became alarmed, "Um, guys, it's not over yet!"

Sand started to fly into the air and reformed into the Shogun Imagin and his Ninja Imagin army. However, the figures them bonded together and became a large ball of sand. When the ball of sand exploded, a winged serpent with 8 heads now hovered in the air. Each of the snake heads hissed and snapped, revealing long tongues and sharp teeth. Each of the heads was a color from the rainbow except for the main one which was white. The wings were large and feathery and also the color of rainbows. Such a sight would be impressive if it wasn't a Gigandeath headed straight for Kyoto.

"Minna, you know what to do?" questioned Ifrit as he put his helmet back on. Three portals opened up, allowing train tracks to exit them along with the trains that rode them. The DynoLiner, GaroLiner and ChronoLiner were each prepped for battle. Their respective pilots then leapt up and boarded the three trains, leaving the girls and the female Imagin behind to watch as they chased after the beast.

"Damn it," grumbled CopyKat. "I knew I should've brought Bobby." She shrugged. "Oh, well."

* * *

It was true chaos in Kyoto as the Orochi Gigandeath approached. People were running and screaming. Some were dropping to their knees and praying to the kami for rescue. Others wished for Susanoo to appear and defeat it.

Behind the Gigandeath three flying trains appeared to be chasing after it. All of them had weapons deployed and were firing at the Orochi Gigandeath. The Orochi Gigandeath seemed to be anticipating the attack. Two of its heads (green and indigo) were looking backwards and shooting streams of acid (green) and ice (indigo) out of their mouths. The trains swerved to avoid being hit before returning fire with salvos of their own. Their shots managed to hit, but they didn't seem to be penetrating the hide of the beast too well.

"**Jeez**," Garoh grunted. "**Maybe we should call down Susanoo and have him kill this thing**." He punctuated his statement by shooting another salvo out from the front of his wolfish train.

"Just keep shooting!" Ifrit growled as he had his Mammoth train's tusks fired energy bolts one after the other.

"Aim for the wings!" Wraith ordered as he sent laser gunfire at his target.

Down in Kyoto it was absolute pandemonium. However, two Riders were down there to help them.

"Quickly," called Ryukendo. "Run this way!"

"Come on, hurry up!" called out CopyKat.

A-Kotonoha was carrying a child who got separated from her mother in the chaos. She was trying to locate the mother and keep her eyes open for stragglers.

High in the air, the battle grew fierce as the three Liners used the rest of the remaining artillery they had at their disposal. Laser fire, flames, bombs and missiles went flying through the air and exploded against the beast's thick hide but this only served to aggravate it further and it attacked with its fire breathing red head and hot water spewing blue head. The GaroLiner got hit by the water and nearly blown off its tracks but Garoh managed to stabilize his vehicle.

Green acidic slime was spat by the green head and was melting a hole into the ChronoLiner. If that wasn't bad enough, the yellow head was firing electricity at the train which was frying the systems.

The DynoLiner wasn't having any luck either as the Tyrano's flames and the Tricera's lasers weren't able to do any damage and the Mammoth's trunk cannon wasn't going to cut it.

"Kuso!" cursed Ifrit. "What does it take to beat this thing!?"

"It has to have a weakness somewhere," Wraith supplied. "But we don't know if it does have one at all."

Garoh's eyes were on the Orochi Gigandeath's heads and from the start of the battle, the white head hadn't attacked. It had done nothing else but…direct the body.

"**Hey, you two!**" Garoh called. "**It's the white head. That's the weakness!**"

"Aim for the white head then!"Ifrit roared as his train raced forward and firedenergy bolts at the white head which hissed in pan. The seven colored heads turned to face the train and attacked the ancient time train using fire, water, ice, acid, heat beam, darkness and electricity. Ifrit managed to make the train dive out of the way to avoid the attack before ramming his train into the beast's body.

"Keep it occupied!" shouted Ifrit.

"Roger!" nodded Wraith.

"**Gotcha!**"agreed Garoh. "**Let's see if it likes Rock and Roll!**" He punched a button with his thumb and the Kin car released powerful sonic waves at the heads causing them to thrash about. Tsume and Hageshi also fired their lasers at the heads.

"Bombs away!" shouted Wraith as his train slung round bombs at the Gigandeath. They exploded against the heads. He also continued to fire missiles at it along with laser shots.

Meanwhile, Ifrit was focusing his train's weapons on the white head which controlled the beast's entire body. Lasers, energy bolts and flames rained down on the white serpent head and it let outa hiss before firing a beam of multicolored light at the DynoLiner. It got hit and the part that received the attack exploded causing the train to trumpet, roar and bellow.

A-Kotonoha gasped when she saw this. '_Ryuji…_' thought Kotonoha in fear.

"_**Hey, Ryuji, are you okay?**_" questioned Garoh as his face appeared on the screen.

"Not so much," said Ifrit as he saw that he'd taken a lot of damage. One more hit like that and his train was going to be a goner. "But I can take it."

"_Maybe you can_," added Wraith as his face appeared next to Garoh's, "_But your train isn't in good shape right now_."

"Don't even think of asking me to sit this one out," growled Ifrit. "We're taking this thing down, together." He then got a crazy idea, "And I have just the way to do it."

"You don't mean…" began Wraith.

"Yeah, we link up like we practiced," said Ifrit.

"That's crazy! The last time we linked up you got hurt!"

**

* * *

**

_The three time trains known as the GaroLiner, DynoLiner and the ChronoLiner were presently racing along on their own set of tracks with the DynoLiner between the GaroLiner that was at its right and the ChronoLiner that was at its left. Piloting the GaroLiner was none other than Kenzaki while Warren and Ryuji piloted the ChronoLiner and DynoLiner respectively._

"_Alright, are you guys ready for this?" asked Ryuji._

"_Sure, why not?" asked Kenzaki. He was willing to do anything to gain an edge against the Imagin menace._

"_Well, here it goes," said Warren before calling on his power, "Shatter!"_

"_Henshin!" called out Kenzaki and Ryuji._

"_**HUNTER FORM!"**_

"_**IFRIT FORM!"**_

_As soon as the Riders were clad in their armors, the DynoLiner accelerated and got way in front of the other two. Their tracks converged and the GaroLiner was now behind the DynoLiner followed by the ChronoLiner._

"_Now, link up!" ordered Ifrit as the front of the GaroLiner clamped onto the rear car of the DynoLiner as the ChronoLiner linked up to the rear car of the GaroLiner._

_Now, they'd just created the DyGaChro Formation__**.**_

"_**Well, looks like that's**__-" began Garoh before alarms started blaring. "__**What the hell!?**__"_

"_Something's wrong with the formation!" Wraith shouted._

"_Not the formation!" objected Ifrit. "It's my train! It's going crazy!"_

_The DynoLiner thrashed about, trying to toss the GaroLiner and ChronoLiner off. Both Wraith and Garoh held on for dear life as the DynoLiner went crazy. Suddenly, the clamps broke and both the GaroLiner and ChronoLiner were tossed into the air, saved by their tracks. However, the DynoLiner was eventually and violently derailed and was on its side._

"_OK, that was scary," Kenzaki said as his armor dematerialized. "Warren, are you okay?"_

_Warren was climbing back onto the Chrono-Speeder and said to Kenzaki, "I'm fine."_

"_Good, now what about Ryuji?" asked Kenzaki. "Hey, Ryuji!" He wasn't getting an answer. "Ryuji! Answer! Do you copy? Ryuji!"_

_Ryuji was still in the DynoLiner's cockpit but he didn't look good. He was knocked out and lying on the floor with a gash in his forehead and his left arm and right leg bent at odd angles. Kenzaki's voice came out from the speakers, "RYUJI!!!"_

* * *

"I know but all we need is one clear shot," said Ifrit confidently.

"**I don't know about this**,"Garoh sounded hesitant."**Your girlfriend wasn't too happy after what happened**."

**

* * *

**

"_RYUJI-KUN!" Kotonoha shrieked as she ran into the room in King's Terminal Hospital. His arm and leg were covered in blue flames. The gash on his head was doing the same. The casts and bandages hid them well, but the Orphenoch healing ability was working its magic._

"_He's going to be fine, Kotonoha," Warren spoke soothingly. "He just got roughed up a little bit."_

"_But…he's hurt so badly," Kotonoha sobbed as she grasped his free hand._

"_He's recover quickly," Warren assured her. "His Orphenoch healing factor will help him get out of here fast."_

"_What happened?" Kotonoha asked. She'd been called by Warren and had taken the ChronoLiner to get here. The only thing on her mind was her boyfriend._

"_We were trying to see if we could link up our trains," said Warren. "But…when we did the DynoLiner lost control. Kenzaki and I got out of it alright but Ryuji took a lot of damage even in his armor."_

"_Oh, Ryuji…" Kotonoha sniffled. Why did he have to do something so reckless? "Why did his train lose control?"_

"_Incompatibility," answered Kenzaki as he came in, having heard her question. "Went to the Station Master for some info and he told me because the DynoLiner is older than ours, it couldn't accept the other trains. Guess it can only accept trains similar to it."_

_Kotonoha looked towards her boyfriend. He'd taken a stupid and dangerous risk. He was injured now because of it. "Stupid boy," she muttered._

"_He meant well. He wanted to see if we could combine our trains' power," said Kenzaki. _

* * *

"I know," said Ifrit, "But I have a feeling it's going to work this time."

Both Wraith and Garoh were silent in their cockpits before finally agreeing. "Alright," said Wraith.

"**Let's do this!" **shouted Garoh.

"Gattai!" Ifrit commanded.

The tracks of all three trains started to converge with the DynoLiner in the lead followed by the GaroLiner and finally the ChronoLiner bringing up the rear. The clamps connected all three trains together, creating the DyGaChro formation. The last time they did this it'd been a disaster but now it was their only chance in defeating this massive-multi-headed-winged-reptilian Gigandeath.

"Alright, focus all power into the Mammoth Cannon!" instructed Ifrit as he pressed a few buttons. Wraith and Garoh did as well, transferring power from their trains into the Mammoth Cannon. The 'trunk' of the DynoLiner Mammoth uncurled as a ball of energy formed at the 'snout'. The ball grew bigger and bigger as more energy was put into it as the energy charged up. In his cockpit, Ifrit was staring at the beast through the viewing screen.

"Target: locked on," Ifrit said as the targeting system locked onto the Gigandeath. He then roared, "Now, GO EXTINCT!" He pressed the trigger.

The Mammoth Cannon fired a blast of energy which surged forward as a stream of destructive power. This was the power of all three Liners combined and it enveloped the creature. All of the Orochi Gigandeath's heads hissed out in agony as it was slowly and mercilessly being ripped to shreds by the blast. Finally, the beast was completely vaporized once the attack stopped.

"Yatta," Ifrit breathed out.

"Now that's power," whistled Wraith.

"**Not too shabby**,"Garoh praised.

Down in Kyoto, Ryukendo and CopyKat cheered, hugging each other, "Yatta! Yatta! Banzai! Banzai!" The two female Riders were jumping up and down victoriously. Once the danger had passed, some of the people even had time to take pictures of the combined trains before they vanished into a portal.

"Good job, Ryuji-kun," smiled Kotonoha.

**

* * *

**

Though their disappearance hadn't gone unnoticed, it was lucky that they had Warren and Rachel to cover for them. They were in the clear, thankfully.

After the battle, the three trains needed to be repaired back at the King's Terminal. It would cost a lot of credits but it was worth it since they'd defeated a Gigandeath. Plus, Ryuji got a huge reward from killing all those Imagin and destroying that Gigandeath. Still, the only question that was coming to mind was what to do with the Dyno Belt and Pass. They were still stolen museum property.

In the room where Warren and Rachel stayed in with their family, the group was seated and in the middle of the floor laid the belt and pass of the DynoLiner.

"So, what do we do with these now?" asked Neko. "They were stolen from the museum."

"A good question," Warren said as he inspected them. "Still…" he eyed Kat and Ryuji. "I can't believe you would try to steal them." He corrected himself while glancing at Kat, "OK, I'd believe if it was you." He'd heard about Kat's reputation and none of it was good. He glanced at Ryuji, "But you, kohai?"

"I just thought it'd be safer that way if I took them and secured them," said Ryuji. Warren shook his head.

"Stealing is stealing. Two wrongs don't make a right," said Warren.

"We could throw you in jail for attempted theft," said Rachel coldly. "But you did it for the right reasons."

"That's true too, but they were still selfish reasons nonetheless," said Warren.

"Unfortunately, it's not made of stone anymore," Neko pointed out. "Whatever Ryuji-chan did turn the belt and pass back to the way they were before they got fossilized. Plus, it actually works."

"Da…" Kenzaki saw the two kids and at the last second uttered, "Darn, this is confusing." He scratched his head. "Do we return them or let Ryuji keep them."

"I think we should return them," said Ryuji. This just stunned everyone who knew how much he wanted to keep them. "I know what you're all probably thinking. You're probably thinking why I am thinking of giving them back instead of keeping them since the belt and pass are clearly mine. Well, like it or not, they are museum property so one way or another they are going back to the museum." He felt Kotonoha's hand on his.

"I'm proud of you, Ryuji-kun. You're doing the right thing," smiled Kotonoha proudly as she squeezed his hand.

"One problem," Kat pointed out, "The belt and pass ain't fossilized no more."

"Yeah…" Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "That's going to be a little hard to explain."

Warren's cell phone rang before he picked it up and put it to his ear, "Hello? Oh, Ant, hi. You took care of it? What exactly? Really? You're serious. OK, I'll tell him. Bye." He put down the phone. "OK, that was unexpected."

"What?" questioned Ryuji.

"Ant said not to worry and that he took care of it. Said something about replacing what was stolen," said Warren. "Knowing him we're better off not knowing what he meant by that."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," smirked Ryuji. He knew he could count on Ant when he was in a pinch.

* * *

The next day was a little chaotic. Warren and Rachel got word that Hiroshi had been arrested for breaking and entering along with an assault on a police officer. They also found his fingerprints on the display case of the fossilized belt.

"HE DID WHAT?!" Ryuji's voice could be heard over Kyoto.

Maybe it was for the best that Hiroshi was being held by police at the moment.

Despite knowing that there was no way he could get to him, Ryuji still wanted to kill Hiroshi for manhandling his girl. It didn't mean that he couldn't dream about what he could do to the punk though.

BRRRRRIIINNNNG!

In the room where Kotonoha and Ryuji were madly making out until she recapped what had happened with Hiroshi to her boyfriend, Ryuji's phone rang. Grumbling incoherently, he grabbed it before letting the call through, "What?"

"_How could you keep me out of the biggest Rider sighting yet?!"_ Miyako's voice cried over the line. "_The entire fight with that Orochi thing is on YouTube! The whole world is seeing it and I missed out!_"

"And?" Ryuji sighed.

"_I'm heading there to Kyoto. I need an exclusive!_" Miyako cried out.

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Whenever there was Rider related news, Miyako would be there. That should be her motto.

* * *

There was a new face in Kyoto and he was walking through the place, feeling confused and disoriented. He'd woken up in an alley here and was wondering where he was. He could see people in modern clothes and some in old-fashioned clothes as well. Of course, his clothing was a mixture of the two.

Ryuji was out buying some flowers when his eyes fell upon the guy. His eyes narrowed when he saw what he looked like.

He had scruffy light red hair, a short braided ponytail and dark green eyes. He was wearing a white hakama and a black sash; his white jacket was ragged with an upturned collar. The inner lining was black. The sleeves of the jacket were rolled up. Hanging from his neck was a necklace that looked like a bottom jaw bone. He had a sword strapped to his back. He looked about seventeen and appeared to be some sort of cosplayer. He would fit in well in Cinema Town but Ryuji could see something was off about him. Then he realized it. This was no cosplayer.

'_Benitora_,' the guy thought to himself, '_Where have you woken up this time?_' He walked into an alley and Ryuji followed after him. Benitora heard footsteps and turned around to see a guy with long black hair and cold blue eyes staring at him. '_Hey, maybe he can tell me where I am_,' thought Benitora.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" Benitora asked with a thick Kansai accent.

Ryuji's eyes were on the guy and he could detect the massive amount of spiritual energy this 'cosplayer' was emitting. He'd sensed it before. Tazuka had the same signature.

"Arrancar," Ryuji whispered.

Benitora eyes widened, his sensitive ears hearing what Ryuji had said. "Huh?"

"You're an Arrancar," Ryuji said simply.

"How did you know?" Benitora remarked, surprised, before recomposing himself. "And so what if I am?"

Ryuji's answer was to wrap the Dyno Belt around his waist and fasten it on. "Then it's my job to make sure you don't eat any human souls." He took out his Rider Pass.

"Hey, hold on!" Benitora held up his hands. "I'm not trying to-"

Ryuji pressed the black button, causing his belt to release a roar. "Henshin!" Ryuji called, swiping the pass over the buckle.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

His armor immediately encased his body and Ifrit rushed forward, throwing a fist at Benitora's head. The Arrancar dodged the attack and shouted, "Wait! Hold on!"

Ifrit wasn't listening. He summoned his gun and opened fire on Benitora with ice bullets. Benitora tried to dodge but some of the shots managed to graze him. However, the bullets didn't seem to do any damage. Benitora looked up at Ifrit, his eyes glowing slightly. They changed from their normal green color to a menacing gold. He unzipped his jacket, revealing his chest and the hole that was positioned where his heart should be. "Tch, Aizen is sending punks like you after me now? I really hate that bastard." He drew his sword and grinned insanely. "Oh well, I might as well have fun…" He pointed his sword at Ifrit. "Rend their flesh and devour their hearts…Tigre de la Muerte!"

Ifrit was taken back by the change that overcame his began to fly all around the man, before he was completely enveloped by smoke. The smoke finally cleared revealing a very menacing individual. Benitora's appearance became feline and predatory, changing him into something much like a humanoid tiger. He took on features such as jagged teeth, clawed hands, and a tail. His clothing changed to a form-fitting armor, which appears to be dark fur covering his body in stripes. He gained long blades on each wrist, tiger stripes under his eyes, and fur lining on his sleeves and pant legs. His braid grew down to his knees and a blade similar to the ones on his wrists hung from the end. His ears also became cat-like.

"Let's dance!" the released Arrancar roared before lunging at Ifrit.

Ifrit charged at his opponent, switching his gun for a pair of Chinese broad swords known as the Ifrit Dao. He swiped at the Arrancar who managed to avoid the swing and slash the Rider across the chest with his claws. Ifrit spun on his heels and saw his opponent taunting him. Enraged, Ifrit charged straight for the Arrancar and started to swipe at him but no matter how fast he was, his opponent was faster. The Arrancar then decided to block instead of evade, causing the sparks to fly when Ifrit's blade met his opponent's body.

"Is that all?" the Arrancar taunted. "I'm getting bored." He yawned.

"Damn you!" Ifrit shouted as he banished one of his swords and took out his Pass. He swiped it over the belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

He tossed the Rider Pass aside as the energy flowed and traveled from the belt and into his sword, energizing it. Ifrit then fired a beam of ice energy at the Arrancar to freeze him in ice before leaping high, both his hands gripping his weapon before he came down to perform a vertical overhead slash. However, before he could reach his target, the block of ice exploded and a hand reached out to catch the blade. Ifrit landed on his feet and struggled to get his sword away.

"And now…it's over," said the Arrancar before tossing Ifrit into a wall. He then made a break for it and fled.

Ifrit got out of the wall and stumbled on his feet as his armor vanished. "Kuso…that teme got away…" He was badly injured from the fight too. Next time, however, he would finish off that Arrancar.

* * *

Benitora managed to get away from that armored maniac and stumbled into some clothes that were in boxes. They were more modern looking than his current clothing. A little used but he had to blend in somehow. Stripping off his clothes, he started to change. As he removed his shirt, a tattoo came into view of all those who would look. It was the number 5 over his right shoulder blade.

* * *

"An Arrancar? Are you sure?" asked Warren when Ryuji told him what'd happened. Kotonoha was tending to his wounds.

"I saw the mask fragment, Warren. I know an Arrancar when I see one. He used his release as well," said Ryuji.

"Alright, but are you sure he's evil?" asked Warren.

"OK, I'm lost here," said Miyako who was there. After reading about the battle on the internet and seeing it on YouTube, she'd come by to Kyoto ASAP. She was desperate for a new story and this sounded like a good one. Still, she wanted to get the facts straight. "What's an Arrancar?"

Ryuji and Warren exchanged looks before sighing. Warren himself had revealed his identity to Miyako after Ryuji was sure she could be trusted. She also knew the identity of the other Riders now. "Are you gonna tell her or should I?" asked Ryuji.

"I'll do it," Warren volunteered. "OK, Ms. Serizawa, listen up, because I'm only going to say this once."

* * *

Hikari was depressed. Most of her friends were in relationships while she was all alone. "I wish some guy would just come by and sweep me off my feet!" However, she wasn't paying attention and failed to notice the truck that was about to hit her.

"Watch out!" she heard and was pulled out of the way and against a strong and lean chest. When she looked up to who'd saved her, she blushed bright red. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Hikari's throat became dry and she was speechless. This made the young man who'd saved her look at her in concern. He suspected that she was in shock. She was in fact mesmerized by the man. His hair was hidden beneath a bandana, but a short braided ponytail came out from the back, revealing it to be a light red color. He also had dark green eyes. The bandana was white with a red tiger-stripe design. He was wearing a dark red t-shirt and jeans. He wore a strange necklace that looked like a bottom jaw bone that hung around his neck. What was surprising to her was the fact that he had a sword strapped to his back.

"Yes, you're fine," she blurted out before correcting himself, "I mean I'm fine!"

"Oh, that's good," he said, relieved. "By the way, what's the name of the damsel in distress whom I just saved?"

"Hikari," she smiled.

"Well, Hikari-han, I am Benitora."

* * *

Miyako wasn't sure what to believe but since dealing with the weirdness around Ryuji up until now she was ready to believe in anything, provided there was proof of course.

"So, Hollows are evil spirits that come from human spirits who've lost their hearts. Shinigami are meant to cleanse Hollows. But an Arrancar is a Hollow that has gained Shinigami powers," Miyako summarized.

"That's what Arrancar are," nodded Warren. "Guess we need to call Ryan."

"Who?" asked Miyako.

"Another Rider," answered Ryuji, "And a specialist when it comes to dealing with these kinds of things."

* * *

While Warren and Ryuji were arranging for Ryan's arrival, Hikari and Benitora were getting to know each other. Benitora learnt a lot about his new friend. She came from a school in Tokyo called Sakakino High and was here because of a fieldtrip. She had friends here as well and wanted him to meet them. He was envious for her. He didn't have many friends back in Hueco Mundo. The only person he could consider a friend amongst the Espada was Stark. In a way, both of them were alike and understood each other. That and his room was a good place to hide from that lunatic Grimmjow.

When Hikari asked about him, he had to lie. If he told her the truth she would think he was crazy. This was a different world so different rules applied. Still, what was that armored guy and would he see him again?

He told her he went to school here in Kyoto but didn't have any friends because he was…too different. That was one way to say it. She sympathized with him and told him she knew a friend who didn't have many friends before but now she was happy with friends and a boyfriend.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" asked Benitora.

Hikari sighed sadly, "I wish. I used to like this guy but he did something bad so I've lost all interest in him." Her crush on Taisuke was gone now. He wasn't the ideal guy for her after all. He was too much of a pervert anyway.

"So, what are you looking for in a guy?" asked Benitora.

"I guess I want a guy who's strong and brave but not afraid to show his softer side," answered Hikari. Of course she was talking about Ryuji. If he wasn't so violent most of the time then he would be the perfect boyfriend. Well, he was the perfect boyfriend for Kotonoha.

"Hey, Hikari!" waved Kat as she and Rose came towards them. "Who's your new friend?"

"Girls, this is Benitora," Hikari introduced. "Benitora, these are my friends and classmates, Kat and Rose."

"It's good to meet you," Benitora said in greeting.

"Likewise," Rose returned the greeting and she noticed Kat was silent. "Kat? Kitty-Kat? What's wrong?"

Kat was staring at Benitora and she could sense his Ki. It was not human and it made the hair at the back of her neck stand on ends. Whatever Benitora was, he was bad news.

"Kat!" Rose shouted.

"Wagh!" Kat jumped in shock and placed a palm to her chest. "Don't do that!"

"Well, you were spaced out for a bit. What's the matter?" Rose asked, worried.

"It's nothing," Kat answered, narrowing her red eyes on Benitora. "Nothing at all."

* * *

"Ant said he'll have Ryan here for us in a week, maybe two," said Warren.

"Why would he take so long? What's keeping him?" asked Ryuji curiously.

"Ryan's busy with a Hollow infestation. He'll come when he's done with that," answered Warren.

"Well, tell Ant to tell him to hurry up. There's an Arrancar here and he's pretty powerful," said Ryuji. He never stood a chance and he hated feeling weak. His pride was wounded after the way the Arrancar had beaten him before he just took off like that.

**

* * *

**

Setsuna watched as Hikari introduced the boy named Benitora to her friends. It may have been just her, but something wasn't right about the boy. He seemed to be out of touch with things or was looking over his shoulder a lot. He obviously had something on his mind and it might not be perfectly healthy. Also, he had a sword of all things strapped to his back. Was it real or fake and why did he carry it around with him? Was it a precious family heirloom or something?

Then, to add to the weirdness, were the events of last night that were something straight out of a monster movie. A giant flying Orochi had attacked Kyoto but the Riders had come to save the day. Everyone couldn't stop talking about it and a few had captured it on video. Setsuna knew who to thank for saving the city but she wasn't telling. Still, her normal life had taken a dramatic change in the last few months.

"Why do weird things have to happen to our class these days?" Setsuna sighed to herself.

**

* * *

**

**ZK Chromedragozoid:** Well, a new chapter and a new character. An Arrancar? That can't be good. Also, a new train formation. DyGaChro! And plus Ifrit gets a new belt. Well, pls read and review to show ur support. Bye bye!


	19. Masked Fury

That night, Iruka Sakuraba, had seen an amazing sight. In the very sky two creatures of legend had battled. One was the Orochi and its opponent was a magnificent dragon who was fighting off the 8-headed serpent to protect Kyoto, much like Susanoo did in the old legends. The old 65 year old artist had found the inspiration for his newest painting. It would be called, "The Guardian Dragon God Slaying the Orochi"

* * *

**"MASKED FURY"**

* * *

It was a week after the Kyoto fieldtrip and aside from all the craziness that happened, the students had fun seeing all the sights and participating in the activities. They even got souvenirs from their trip though Kat had a bag full of stuff to give to Cathy and Bobby. The Riders' appearance in Kyoto hadn't gone unnoticed and ever since the video of the fight between the Liners and the Gigandeath was posted on YouTube and similar sites, several Otaku had come to Kyoto for a chance to catch a glimpse of the Riders. Of course, there was some sadness as well. Hikari had to part from Benitora but he'd promised that he would see her again. She didn't know how or why but she actually believed him.

Now, in the Katsura residence where a certain Kamen Rider was occupying, a girl with long dark hair and wearing a school uniform came into said Rider's room to wake him up. On the floor was a busted up alarm clock so she knew it had rang but her boyfriend had destroyed it before going back to sleep.

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha gently shook him awake and the boy's eyes slowly opened. He yawned as he looked up at her. "Wake up, Watashi no Senshi."

"Koto-chan…" he groaned as he pushed himself up from bed. "What time is it?"

"Oh, I would check the time but you busted the clock," she giggled.

Ryuji sighed. "So, Loki's making breakfast."

"Oh, like always. Now, go get yourself cleaned up and dressed. I'll be downstairs waiting for you."

"What about Kokoro-chan?" asked Ryuji as he got out of bed and stretched.

"She's already awake and waiting for you," Kotonoha smiled. "Now, get yourself ready." She exited the room, leaving the boy to exit after her and dragging himself to the bathroom.

Minutes later, he came downstairs dressed in his uniform. Since it was summer, it meant for summer uniforms. The boys switched their long sleeved shirts and jackets for short sleeved shirts while the girls now wore short sleeved shirts as well with the uniform black vest and short skirts.

However, knowing how Ryuji would dress, he wore the uniform shirt open without the tie and wearing a black t-shirt under the uniform. Kotonoha wore the standard uniform and hanging from her neck was the heart-shaped ice pendant he'd given to her.

Sitting at the dining table, Ryuji ate breakfast with Kotonoha and Kokoro. The Cupid Imagin Eros and Amazon Imagin Athena were joining them for the meal as well. Loki was in the kitchen, cleaning up after preparing the meal before joining them. Today they were having a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice with fish, natto beans and miso soup.

"And don't forget your bentos," Loki reminded after they finished up breakfast and were leaving for the door.

"So, do you want to take the DynoLiner?" asked Ryuji.

"I'll take the train!" Kokoro raised her hand.

"I think, today, I would like to walk to the station with you, Ryuji-kun," smiled Kotonoha.

"OK, a walk to school it is," smiled Ryuji. He held the pass to the door and opened it up for Kokoro and she immediately went onto the platform where the DynoLiner was waiting.

"Bye-bye!" Kokoro waved before the door was closed. Eros turned into an orb of white energy which flew out the door and into Kokoro before the door was completely shut. Pocketing the Dyno Pass, Ryuji opened up the door and the couple walked out of the house.

Along the way, the two exchanged some small talk. Mostly they were talking about the Kyoto trip. That had been an adventure. After Hiroshi was let out of jail when Warren bailed him out, it took Kenzaki and Neko to hold Ryuji back from pounding the jerk's face in. They wouldn't have anymore problems from him for awhile. Of course, the KLLA got some new members and these were the ones who didn't accept Ryuji as Kotonoha's boyfriend still.

"RYUJI HASUMA!" shouted a large guy with muscles and wearing the uniform of Sakakino High's baseball team. It was pretty obvious since the word 'SAKAKINO' was stamped across his chest. He was wearing a baseball helmet and holding a metal baseball bat. "I AM EIJI MIYAMOTO OF THE KLLA, AND I CHALLENGE YOU FOR KOTONOHA KATSURA'S HEART!"

Ryuji rolled his eyes, muttering, "Not this bullshit again." He moved protectively in front of Kotonoha. "This won't take long."

"NOW, PREPARE TO DIE!!!" Eiji roared as he charged at Ryuji, ready to swing the bat and smash Ryuji's face in. Ryuji smirked cockily and charged right back with his fist drawn to smash it into the guy's face, gut or nether regions. Kotonoha didn't want any violence so early in the morning so she shouted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Wait! I've already given myself, heart, body and soul to Ryuji-kun!" she cried out loudly. The effect was instantaneous as Eiji stumbled in his charge. He was stunned by the declaration and gave Ryuji an opening to throw his fist at his face. The guy staggered back in pain and Ryuji finished it off with a brutal kick that sent the guy skidding across the ground. The guy was on his back with his legs suspended in the air, twitching. The bat fell out of his hands and rolled to Ryuji's feet. He picked up the bat and inspected it before tossing it into a nearby trashcan.

Ryuji turned to Kotonoha and parroted, "'I've given myself, heart body and soul'?"

"It was the only thing I could think of that would stop him," she defended and Ryuji gave the girl a sweet kiss on the lips before taking her hand.

"Come on, we're going to be late for school," he told her before they both ran for the station.

* * *

Because of that jock, both Ryuji and Kotonoha were nearly late for school. Luckily they made it in time and got to the shoe lockers. Both of them panted and Ryuji grinned at his girlfriend with a victory sign, "We made it." Suddenly, he was slapped painfully in the back and turned to see that it was Kat. "Kat!"

"Hello!" Kat saluted. She was wearing her own variation of the girls' uniform. She didn't wear the bow or the vest and instead wore the white shirt with the standard skirt. She wore shorts under her skirt so guys wouldn't get a peak at her panties. The skirts were just so indecently short, but what would you expect in a world that was based on a game and anime? "And good morning to you too, Kotonoha-chan!"

"Good morning, Kat-san," Kotonoha greeted with a slight bow. "You seem happy."

"Yeah!" she grinned. "I got a postcard in the mail today." She took it out and showed it to them. "The gang there sent it to me. Isn't that sweet?"

"I can't believe you lead a street gang now," said Kotonoha.

"I can," Ryuji stated. "This is the type of thing she would do."

In Kyoto, Kat had found a teenage street gang and challenged them for leadership. After beating the crap out of every member, they accepted her as their leader. Though she wouldn't be there to lead them while here in Tokyo, she gave leadership back to the gang's original leader. Though, they would still call her Boss or Chief when she returned. They also had a nickname for her. It was "Queen of the Kyoto Street Fists".

"It was a sweet gesture," agreed Rose. "Now, come on, Kat. We don't wanna be late for class."

"OK, Rosie-chan!" smiled Kat as she was led away by her beloved. Apparently Kat had gotten her 'nookie' privileges back sooner than expected. That was why she was happy. Of course, Ryuji really didn't want to think of that.

"Let's get to class, Koto-chan," said Ryuji, still holding her hand.

* * *

The students were presently in class and listening to the teacher's lecture. Some were paying attention while some others were just busy trying to not fall asleep as the teacher went on. Ryuji's attention was elsewhere. He just couldn't stop thinking of that Arrancar that got away. Somehow his opponent had masked his Ki and could be anywhere devouring souls.

Word from Ant was that Ryan was almost done with the Hollow infestation and would be there in a couple of days. If there was anyone Ryuji could trust to deal with Hollows and Arrancar, it was the Musical Vizard Rider known as Oni. His 'Pure Sound' ability would do well against this corrupt spirit.

* * *

During the short break between classes, Setsuna was reading an arts magazine when her eyes came upon the photo of a painting made by Iruka Sakuraba. The man was renowned for his paintings of mythical beings and legendary creatures like gods and demons but this time it was something she was familiar with.

The painting itself depicted Kyoto but the main focus was the battle between the 'Dragon' and the 'Orochi' that was taking place in the sky above the city. The 'Dragon' was the force of good while the 'Orochi' was the force of evil.

Setsuna glanced over to Ryuji who was sleeping with his head on the desk. It was hard to believe he was a Kamen Rider sometimes but then again weirder things had happened.

* * *

Benitora got off the delivery truck that he had hitched a ride on as it was passing through Tokyo. He had gotten the district from Hikari and he was looking forward to seeing her again. He tried living in Kyoto for a while, but he got bored and he was missing Hikari.

He had been feeding himself on any evil spirits that he had run across. He was used to seeing Hollows, but they apparently didn't exist here. Instead, he had to pay attention to how the spirit was acting before he attempted to eat them. Good spirits weren't to his taste. They were too sweet. Evil spirits had a delicious bitter taste to them that he liked. Besides, no one missed evil spirits anyway. If there were any Shinigami, they wouldn't be chasing after him relentlessly.

Clutching his hidden Zanpakuto which was wrapped in cloth, Benitora began walking down the streets. Roof hopping would have been faster, but that would make him hungry faster and it would make him easier to track for a Shinigami. Plus, it would draw attention.

Also, he had to be careful of that armored maniac. Even if he was the stronger one, that guy seemed willing to do anything to kill him. He just hoped he didn't see that guy again. That would ruin his reunion with Hikari.

"OK, she told me her family's store is around here," said Benitora as he looked around. Hikari had told him to come and drop by her family's confectionary store and café. They made the best cakes with their specialty being their lemon custard pie. That sounded good to have right about now.

* * *

Ryuji's eyes snapped wide open as he stood up at his desk and looked out the window. "That Ki signature," he muttered. Ryuji was wearing the summer uniform as well but he wore the white uniform shirt open to reveal a black t-shirt underneath and he didn't even bother with the tie.

"Ryuji Hasuma, is there a problem?" asked Rachel as she took notice of Ryuji's actions. She too could sense the Ki and while she didn't react like he did, she was also wary.

"No, Sensei," he answered before sitting down and glancing at the window.

"Well, please read the passage from where Ms. Kiyoura left off," stated Rachel.

'_Crap,_' Ryuji cursed mentally. He hadn't been paying attention and didn't know his place. Luckily for him, Kotonoha nudged him and showed it to him. He stood up with his book in hand and started reading while his mind was elsewhere. '_Arrancar…_'

* * *

Kat was in her class, doodling in her notebook as she ignored the teacher. Then, her eyes snapped open when she detected a familiar Ki signature. She'd felt it around that guy Hikari had hung out with in Kyoto.

Like Ryuji, Kat didn't go along with the crowd and wore a white short sleeved shirt without the vest. She did wear the skirt and her usual shorts underneath.

* * *

Warren looked up from his desk in the staff room. He didn't have a class right now and no students had come to ask him anything. "Hm…an Arrancar…" mused Warren silently. Warren could easily identify the Reiatsu of the Arrancar, the same one he felt back in Kyoto.

As a Shinigami and a member of the Gotei 13 it was his job to eradicate any Hollow or Arrancar he would come across. Though he rarely ever stumbled upon an Arrancar, he would destroy any Hollow without a moment's hesitation. However, when he first felt the energy of this Arrancar he decided not to fight, as he didn't feel any malice coming from the spirit.

"Maybe I should go and find this Arrancar to get some things straight."

* * *

The day went on as usual. At lunch, Ryuji and Kotonoha would eat together on the roof but Ryuji was unusually quiet when he was eating. His mind was focused on the Arrancar's Ki which had suddenly dropped off his radar. It was just like in Kyoto. Sometimes the guy's Ki signature would register and sometimes it would just not be there.

Ryuji couldn't focus in class. For several minutes he would be able to detect the Arrancar's Ki before it just vanished. This frustrated the Rider of the DynoLiner and he swore to himself to finish the Arrancar for good. The battle at Kyoto had been an insult since his enemy had fled. Not this time, though. He would find him and he would kill him.

But why did Ryuji hate the Arrancar? Was it because they were soul devouring monsters who were no longer human or did it run deeper than that? After all, Tazuka possessed Arrancar abilities despite being human now and he'd been an Arrancar before Ryuki made that wish.

Maybe Ryuji felt that the Arrancar could be a threat to everyone he cared for. Ryuji swore to protect them and it was his solemn vow and duty. Even if it meant to kill, he would do it if it allowed him to protect the people who were precious to him.

Kotonoha noticed all day how Ryuji was acting. His mind and focus was elsewhere and it worried her. When she asked him what was wrong, he would deny that anything was wrong at all. She knew he was lying but she couldn't prove it. It may lead to an argument.

The final bell rang, letting out the students. Ryuji had to deal with the idiotic KLLA before leaving school without Kotonoha, saying he had something important to deal with. That was alright since Kotonoha and Setsuna had student council business to attend to. Setsuna was the new Class Rep with Kotonoha as her assistant.

* * *

Benitora was walking through town, having enjoyed the pastries at Hikari's family's store and café. He also enjoyed seeing her again. The girl had been so happy to see him again once she walked through the doors.

* * *

"_Tadaima," greeted Hikari but then she froze on the spot when she saw who was sitting at one of the table. "Benitora?"_

"_Oh, Hikari-chan!" Benitora waved while enjoying a lemon custard pie. "You were right, these are good!"_

"_Benitora!" she shouted as she ran at him before hugging the boy and nearly knocking him off his seat. "You're here!"_

"_I told you we'd see each other again," he told her, feeling great as a strange yet pleasant warmth overcame him at the greeting. He'd made the right decision coming __here__._

* * *

Suddenly, Benitora stiffened when he felt a familiar Reiatsu signature. It was one he knew too well in his pre-Arrancar days as a Hollow. Spinning around, he turned to face a guy with strange white hair; Warren Smith.

"So, you're the Reiatsu I've been sensing," stated Warren. "You were in Kyoto too if I recalled."

"What do you want, Shinigami?" questioned Benitora as he was about to draw his Zanpakuto, his eyes flashing gold for just a second.

"I came here to talk," said Warren. He had to be wary still. Even if he didn't feel any malicious intent coming from this guy he didn't know what to expect. This guy could be bi-polar or schizophrenic for all he knew and could change into a killing machine at a moment's notice.

"Alright," Benitora said calmly. "Let's talk."

* * *

It was several days later when Ryuji got the shock of his life. Warren came into the classroom with his attendance book and said to them, "Alright, class, today we have a new transfer student joining us. Someone entered the classroom and Ryuji's eyes went wide open. Though the new kid was in school clothes, the jaw bone necklace he wore was unmistakable.

"Good morning," the new student bowed. "I am Benitora Tachiki and I hope we-"

Ryuji interrupted, standing up at his seat as he shouted, "KISAMA!!!"

* * *

Needless to say, Warren gave Ryuji bucket duty and made him stand out in the hall while holding a pair of buckets filled with water. Ryuji would have told Warren to go screw himself because he wasn't going to leave an Arrancar in the same room with Kotonoha. Still, he knew Warren was his superior and could kick his ass if he really wanted to. Besides, he wasn't stupid and wouldn't allow an Arrancar into his classroom unless there was something going on.

That didn't mean that he wasn't going to try and beat Warren next time he got the chance.

* * *

"Wow," Nanami admired as Benitora sat with Hikari along with the group at lunch. "One look and you got Ryuji pissed at you. That has to be a record."

"Why was he so upset with you, Benitora-kun?" asked Hikari curiously.

"We…had a confrontation in Kyoto," Benitora lied. "It was kind if a misunderstanding which apparently hasn't been cleared up yet. We had a fight and I won. Apparently he's been stewing on that."

"You beat him in a fight?" Hikari gasped. "Wow! You must be tough!" Ryuji was known to be the toughest guy in school. He'd beaten several people all at once. For one guy to beat Ryuji was amazing.

"I really don't like to fight," said Benitora. "Personally, I wish to just live in peace." He gave her a smile.

* * *

Speaking of confrontations, one was happening in the staff room between Ryuji and Warren. Both were talking in English but it was obvious that Ryuji was pissed off.

"_You're crazy, you know that?_" stated Ryuji. "_Bringing him into school like this._"

"_He's not evil, Ryuji_," said Warren.

"_How can you be sure?_"

"_Because, unlike you, I took the time to talk to him. He told me how you attacked him and that he was only defending himself._"

Ryuji snorted, "_Sure, take his side_."

"_And I also want you to leave him alone_," ordered Warren.

Ryuji grumbled and turned towards the door.

"_Where are you going?_" demanded Warren. But Ryuji exited without giving an answer. Warren sighed, "_This is bad_…"

* * *

In the hallway, Ryuji was stomping along and the students all stepped away to let him through. His reputation made sure that students knew what to do when he was around. The weaker ones avoided him and the stupid ones would try and pick a fight. Seeing Ryuji angry meant that they should back away but well there was always one person either brave enough or foolish enough to tap the angry beast.

Ryuji felt someone slap his back and he spun around quickly, ready to attack the guy when he saw it was Kat. "Hello!" she greeted.

"What do you want? I'm busy," Ryuji remarked.

"Today I sensed some really strange Ki," answered Kat as she tapped her index fingers together. "I wonder if you knew what it was."

"So, what if I do? You want me to tell you?"

"Yup!" grinned Kat before her tone and expression became serious, "And I want to help."

Ryuji knew that tone. It was one that promised pain to those who'd harmed her family. Maybe some help wouldn't be so bad. He'd been beaten alone but with help maybe he could take this poser down.

* * *

Benitora was really enjoying this. He had a chance for a new life and all thanks to that Shinigami who was also a teacher here. He also got to be with Hikari. Unfortunately, they weren't in the same class but at least he lived close to her home now in an apartment Warren had arranged for him. Warren had also provided Benitora with important documents. Forged documents, yes, but they were believable enough.

"I knew you'd be here," said Benitora as he sensed Ryuji's Ki. The guy had attacked him in Kyoto and had been glaring at him the whole time in class.

Ryuji's eyes narrowed when he saw Benitora on the rooftop, standing at the guard fence and looking out at the scenery. "I know what you are so there's no use pretending. You're not human," said Ryuji coldly.

"I should say the same of you," replied Benitora as he turned around and focused his eyes on Ryuji. "I sensed your Reiatsu. It's not human either."

Ryuji clenched his fists. "This isn't about me, Arrancar."

"Why do you hate me?" asked Benitora. "I'm curious."

"Aside from the fact that you're a soul eating monster in human form," accused Ryuji as he took out his Dyno Belt and Pass. "I just don't like your Ki. It makes me sick." He fastened the belt around his waist.

Benitora sighed as he drew his Zanpakuto out of its hiding place. "You know how this is going to end. I beat you the last time. What makes you think you'll beat me this time?" he asked.

"Because I've been studying," said Ryuji as he pressed the red button that was under the black one, causing the area between the jaw-like buckle to turn red with a yellow 'X'. The belt also released a trumpeting sound like a mammoth. "Henshin!" Ryuji called out as he swiped the Dyno Pass over the belt buckle, triggering the transformation.

"**MAMMOTH FORM!**"

The base armor formed over his body from shards of energy. Additional armor materialized and snapped on. The chest armor was red with a pair of golden spikes jutting upwards that looked like mammoth tusks. The armor covering his shoulders resembled the feet of a mammoth. Finally, a red mask with vertical slits, a pair short gold tusks, and a pair golden bull-like horns slid over his helmet and snapped onto the faceplate. His gauntlets and boots had also changed to red with gold rings around the wrists and ankles.

"Time for extinction," growled Ifrit before he charged at the Arrancar.

"I don't want to fight, but I will if you make me," Benitora warned as he drew his sword.

"Trust me!" Ifrit growled as he summoned his Dao swords. "I am very much making you fight!"

"So be it!" Benitora growled, using his Sonido, he vanished from sight. Ifrit reacted fast and twirled around before his Dao clashed against Benitora's Zanpakuto.

"Taking my back, Arrancar?" Ifrit asked with a smirk behind his mask.

"Trying to end this fight quick," Benitora retorted.

"Not gonna work on me!" Ifrit roared as he pushed the Arrancar away and began slashing wildly.

While Benitora could match Ifrit in skill, he outmatched him in strength. Every clash of swords Ifrit felt like there was a sledgehammer hitting his arms. As each hit collided, Benitora's eyes grew a brighter gold and his grin became bigger. With another clash, the two backed away from each other.

"Not bad," Benitora grinned. "This is going to be fun. You remind me of an old 'friend'. He would attack and attack without much thought and always used the strongest attacks if he got pissed off."

"Oh yeah?" Ifrit snickered. "And what friend would this be?"

"A real psycho," Benitora laughed. "His name was Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. Have you heard of him?"

"Grimmjow…Jaegerjaques?" Ifrit blinked. The No. 6 of the Espada and the deadliest Arrancar in Aizen's army? This guy knew Grimmjow? That meant he had to have been in the deepest parts of Las Noches since the Espada usually spent their time there.

"So you do know him!" Benitora laughed. "I guess he's more famous than even he thought!"

"I am not like him!" Ifrit roared. Ryan had told him stories of Grimmjow and his escapades against Ichigo in Karakura Town. He may have been like that psycho in the past, but he wasn't anymore.

"Did I touch a nerve?" Benitora laughed. "They way you react makes me think that you really ARE just like him…or at least was."

"SHUT UP!!" Ifrit roared, changing his Dao into shooters and opening fire on the Arrancar.

Benitora disappeared with a Sonido again before an impact blasted against his back. Stumbling down, he saw Benitora with his hand outstretched. He had shot off a Cero into Ifrit's back.

"Getting angry will cost you this," Benitora smirked. "I'll say one thing you and Grimmjow don't have in common. He would have lasted longer than this."

"That's why Ifrit brought me!"

Benitora turned as saw axe blades swinging at him. Acting quickly, he leaped to the side, but the blades did manage to shred his shirt and reveal his Hollow hole. Both CopyKat and Ifrit turned to face their opponent. That was when their faces paled when they saw his bare back.

On his right shoulder was a black number five.

"Oh shit," Ifrit spoke slowly.

"An…Espada?" CopyKat gaped.

"Yes. Let me introduce myself," Benitora smirked. "Former Cinco Espada, Rojotigre Diego!" Ifrit then noticed how Benitora's eyes were now gold instead of green. "And now…Rend their flesh and devour their hearts…Tigre de la Muerte!"

* * *

Warren was running up the stairs followed by both Kenzaki and Neko. The Riders had sensed Benitora's Reiatsu along with Kat and Ryuji's Rinki and Genki respectively.

"That idiot," muttered Warren.

Suddenly, the wraith and the two GekiJyuKen users felt a sudden rise in malevolent Ki. This just made them pick up the pace.

* * *

Rojotigre was now in his released form and grinned ferally before charging at both Riders. Both Ifrit and CopyKat were taken by surprise before the Arrancar grabbed them by their throats and then jumped through the guard fence, tearing a hole in it in the process.

The roof entrance was thrown open as Skull Rider Wraith and both Kamen Riders Garoh and Ryukendo showed up. They saw the hole and then heard the sound of a battle down on the ground.

"Crap," Wraith cursed. "Let's go, you two."

* * *

The fight was one sided as sparks exploded from the twin Riders' armor. Rojotigre was moving so fast that the two could barely catch up and they couldn't even see him. His Reiatsu also flickered in and out from their Ki radars, making it impossible for them to pinpoint his position.

Rojotigre grinned as he reappeared after stopping and clicked his claws. "So, how do you both want to die today?"

CopyKat shakily stood on her feet as she crossed her axes. "You first!" She twirled her axes around and then tossed them at the Arrancar. They spun through the air but Rojotigre was able to evade them. However, the axes were like boomerangs and were turning back around to hit him in the back. Unfortunately, he managed to catch them by the blades when they got close and shattered the axe blades in his hands.

"OK, this looks bad," gulped CopyKat. She never knew real fear before but this was pretty close. The guy's Reiatsu was nearly suffocating as it was being pumped out of his body.

"My turn," grinned Rojotigre before he vanished from sight and then CopyKat was sent flying and smashed into the concrete fence that surrounded the school. She actually went right through it and made a hole on impact.

'_Damn it,_' cursed Ifrit. This guy was fast. If only he still had the Clock Up system on him. But if he needed speed, he knew the right form. It may cause his armor to lose some defense points, but it was worth it. He pressed the white button on his belt, turning the emblem white with a red 'X'. The belt released a roar as he swiped the Pass over it.

"**TYRANO FORM!**"

His Mammoth Form armor vanished as new armor replaced it. The chest armor connected and then the shoulder armor. Finally, the visor slid over his face and snapped on.

The chest armor was white with a vertical line of sharp gold teeth running down the middle. The shoulder armors were both shaped like tyrannosaurus-rex heads, white with red lower jaws and golden teeth. The visor looked like a pair of jaws with golden teeth in between. His white gauntlets and boots had red rings around the wrists and ankles.

The T-Rex head on his right shoulder then slid along his arm before stopping at the fist. The jaws opened and a red sword blade slid out from it.

In the blink of an eye, Ifrit vanished from sight.

Rojotigre snorted before he swiftly turned, catching the blade of Ifrit's Tyrano-Katana in between his claws. The tip of the blade was inches away from his mask.

"Ooh! Close!" Rojotigre smirked. "If I hadn't seen which direction you were heading, you would have gotten me good!"

"Grrr!" Ifrit growled before he vanished into another blur. Rojotigre did the same. This fight had only begun.

* * *

Students had heard the commotion and were trying to see what was happening. They didn't dare go up to the roof since they could tell that the Riders were fighting some kind of monster outside the building. They saw Ifrit sporting new armor with CopyKat fighting some kind of monster in white armor. It looked kind of feline-like, but still it was hard to see since it and Ifrit kept vanishing in blurs.

"Benitora-kun!" Hikari called out into the crowds of students trying to watch. "Benitora-kun, where are you?!"

"Hikari!" Nanami cried, catching her friend's attention. "Where is everyone?"

"I can only find a couple of them," Hikari answered. "But I can't find Benitora-kun!"

Setsuna could only eye the battle from her spot on the grounds. Ryuji was fighting something dangerous and powerful. She hadn't seen so much effort put into a battle from previous recordings and pictures but she knew this fight was going to be the hardest for him.

He might lose.

* * *

A golden aura surrounded Ifrit, augmenting his speed further and also increasing his strength. He had yet to fully master his Mythical Ki but he was still able to utilize it in combat. The infusion of Genki in his cells made him stronger and faster and to win this match he had to be as strong and fast as Rojotigre.

Rojotigre was blocking the blows with his armored skin before countering with slashes. Deep gashes appeared on Ifrit's armor as Rojotigre struck but Ifrit managed a few hits as well. Still, the Arrancar's steel skin was thick and durable and in his released state was near impenetrable.

Suddenly, a white clawed gauntlet with black stripes struck at Rojotigre and he was sent reeling by the attack. Looking up, he could see CopyKat standing next to Ifrit. She'd recovered and surrounding her body was black and purple Ki. The former 5th Espada could sense that her Reiatsu had increased along with Ifrit's.

"You two are the same," stated Rojotigre. "You've got dark and malevolent Reiatsu."

It was true. Confrontation Ki and Mythical Ki were both malevolent in nature. One was the source of power for the RinJyuKen and the other the source of power for the GenJyuKen. One was the fist of war while the other was the fist of destruction.

"We don't always reveal our Ki like this," stated CopyKat, "Consider yourself lucky."

Rojotigre snickered, "Let me tell you a secret. I'm barely using a quarter of my full power."

Ifrit and CopyKat's eyes went wide. Up until now he wasn't even using his full power? This was him at less than a quarter of his power? No way.

CopyKat immediately surged forward, leaving a trail of her Rinki as she attack Rojotigre. She stabbed at him with her claws but he just stepped back and would dodge her strikes with ease. Enraged, CopyKat called out one of her attacks, "Ringi! Goyu Shoda!" Empowering her right claw with Rinki, she jabbed it forward to slug him right through but he blurred out of the way and ended up behind her.

"To be honest, that would've been a good hit if I allowed it," whispered Rojotigre in her ear. She spun around and got kicked in the stomach. She was sent flying but Ifrit managed to catch her before she slammed into the school building.

"Thanks," said CopyKat gratefully.

"Kat, we need to finish this quick. Hold him and I'll finish him off," Ifrit instructed. CopyKat nodded, knowing exactly what move to use. He put her down and she charged up her Rinki before darting forward with the speed of a cheetah. She then summoned a whip made of Rinki and lashed it at Rojotigre, pinning his arms to his sides. The Espada found that he couldn't get out of the restraints.

"It's called Ganji Gatame (Bind Firmly). The more you struggle, the tighter it gets, and it also saps Ki," explained CopyKat.

"Grrr!!!" Rojotigre snarled.

Meanwhile, Ifrit had just pressed the final blue button his belt had and the emblem turned blue with a white 'X' in the centre. The belt also released a bellowing sound before Ifrit swiped the Pass over the buckle.

"**TRICERA FORM!**"

His white Tyrano Form armor detached and vanished as his gauntlets and boots turned blue with white rings. The new armor that snapped onto his chest and shoulders was blue with the armor on the right shoulder being rounded and the armor on his left shoulder being modeled after a triceratops' head. Finally, a new visor with green lenses with two gold horns on the side and one in the centre slid down and snapped on.

Ifrit's eyes narrowed as he focused them on the restrained Espada. The triceratops head slid down to his fist as he held the Dyno Pass over the belt buckle. At the same time, the mouth of the triceratops head opened to reveal twin gun barrels.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Energy traveled from the belt and into the Tricera-Buster on his left fist. The horns glowing and the twin barrels in the jaw were being charged up. He then made a mad dash towards the Arrancar, drawing his fist back before throwing it forward. If this attack connected, it would cause a massive explosion but Ifrit wouldn't be harmed. Only his target would be destroyed.

However, the attack never connected as Wraith suddenly appeared and grabbed Ifrit by the wrist. This shocked the Rider and he became even more surprised when Garoh and Ryukendo used their Geki infused swords to cut the whip holding Rojotigre.

"Gracias," said Rojotigre before he blurred out of sight.

"Wraith!" snarled Ifrit as he faced the skull-masked Rider who was still holding his wrist.

"We'll talk about this later," said Wraith in a serious tone. His kohai had gone against his orders.

* * *

"People could've gotten hurt!" shouted Warren.

"If that thing is still around, they will!" Ryuji argued.

"He doesn't eat humans," Warren retorted. "Hell, he doesn't even eat good spirits. He eats the ones that would be considered Hollows in your old world. I would have told you if you didn't go off all half-cocked!"

"He's dangerous! All he does is kill!" Ryuji snapped.

"Then so is Tazuka!" Warren retorted. "We should destroy him too!"

"I'll kill you if you lay a hand on him!" Ryuji snapped with a growl.

"But you make it seem that all Arrancar are bad," Warren snapped. "Tazuka doesn't need to eat spirits and Benitora keeps eating evil spirits. Now, why would a former Espada come here and not cause trouble?"

"I dunno!" Ryuji growled. "You tell me!"

"Because he's on the run from Aizen!" Warren explained. "Despite appearances, he still considers himself a human. That's part of the reason why he was ejected from Las Noches. He's had other Espada come to kill him. He ran to this world to escape from them."

"And that's supposed to make me do what?" asked Ryuji. "He's a freaking Arrancar! Don't you know what they do?!"

"They eat people, I know," Warren sighed. "But Ryan is keeping tabs on him and he's gotten confirmation from Soul Society that in return for information, they'll be ready to move out in case he goes berserk."

In the past after his turning into a Vizard, Ryan had broken all ties with Soul Society and followed his own rules. He was a free spirit. Now, as a member of the ChronoLiner Riders who helped to defend the Multiverse, Ryan was given special status and granted amnesty. He could still share information with Soul Society but Soul Society would need to share information as well.

Ryan hated Arrancar. He'd barely tolerated Tazuka but accepted him as an exception. Still, he wouldn't go with this if he didn't plan on doing something. Maybe he was waiting for Benitora to slip up and then attack. Who knows? What Ryuji did know was that Ryan would know how to deal with Benitora when the time came.

"So, speaking of Ryan, when is he coming?" asked Ryuji.

"Tomorrow night," Warren confirmed. "Now, will you promise not to go and attack Benitora again?" He received no answer. "Well?" He got a mumbled reply. "I can't hear you."

"Hai, Sempai," Ryuji nodded.

* * *

Hikari managed to find Benitora but he was wearing his gym t-shirt instead of his white uniform shirt. "Benitora-kun!" she lunged forward and hugged him. "You're okay! I couldn't find you! What happened?"

"Oh, I guess I kinda freaked out when I saw those armored guys and that monster fighting," Benitora lied.

"Well, I'm just happy you're okay," said Hikari, relieved.

"Say, Hikari-han," Benitora rubbed the back of his head. "After school ends, you want to hang out?"

"Is this a date?" Hikari asked hopefully.

Benitora said, "You might call it that."

"Then I accept!" giggled Hikari before kissing his cheek. "I'll wait for you at the gate!" She then ran off. Benitora was touching his cheek.

Kat, however, had seen the whole thing. After being berated by Neko she felt humiliated but the humiliation of losing to Benitora was worse. She wanted to get even. Then she remembered Ryuji saying Ryan might show up. '_Maybe I could use him…_'

* * *

The final bell rang and all the students who didn't have any after-school activities today exited the building, relieved that it was all over for the day. They wanted to just go home and relax before working on any assigned homework. As for Ryuji, he was being ambushed by the school's male gymnastics club who were also part of the KLLA. These guys were new too and just as obsessed with Kotonoha. This just made Kotonoha's life miserable as she was getting too much attention and also a lot of negative attention from jealous girls. Fortunately, Ryuji was able to pound some sense into a few boys to leave him and Kotonoha alone. The male gymnastics club wouldn't be so different. Also, Ryuji had a lot of anger to take care of so what better way than to take it out on these guys?

10 minutes later, the KLLA members were sprawled all over the ground, some unconscious and few too much in pain to move and could only twitch slightly. That had taken care of his anger…for now.

* * *

The ChronoLiner had dropped off Ryan at a train station before it flew off into a portal. The Vizard looked like the way he's always had. His bright pink and short hair stood out and he wore a black sleeveless shirt with the words 'ROCK ON' written on it in blood red. He wore blue jeans with the knees cut open and black combat boots with steel buckles. Behind the belt he wore were his drum sticks (Hibiki) and hanging from his belt were his trumpet (Ibuki) and tuning fork (Kachidoki). Strapped to his back was his guitar (Zanki).

"I guess I'm a day earlier than I expected," said Ryan as he adjusted his guitar strap. "Well, duty calls. I gotta see this Arrancar for myself."

"Hey," he heard a greeting and turned to see Kat walking towards him. "How are you doing, Ryan?"

"Hey, Kat," Ryan answered. "So, you were sent to pick me up or something?"

She shrugged, "Or something." Her eyes then glowed red as Ryan stood there stunned. "But first, you gotta do something for me…"

* * *

As Kotonoha and Ryuji were waiting for the train at the station, no words were spoken between them. After she'd found out from Warren why Ryuji had attacked Benitora, she was furious and refused to talk to him. Ryuji gave his girlfriend some space to cool down before talking to her. He wanted to explain himself but he also wanted to wait for the right moment. The right moment was when she spoke to him and she hadn't done it until now.

Kotonoha took in a deep breath of air before looking directly at her boyfriend. "I think I know why you attacked Benitora-san," said Kotonoha. Ryuji awaited for her to continue. She did. She said, "It's because he reminds you too much of yourself." Ryuji's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to rebut but she beat him to it. She continued, "Benitora-san and you are quite similar. Both of you are monsters in human form and you both can become very dangerous once you lose control." Ryuji couldn't say a word in his defense. That was true. He was just as dangerous as an Arrancar if he ever loss control. "Warren-sensei told me why you attacked him. You were concerned about everyone else but that was only part of the reason. The real reason was that you hated what he represented. He was a reminder of you not being human, just like himself. The person you truly hate….is yourself, isn't it?"

Ryuji gripped his fists and gritted his teeth. He couldn't trust his voice now so he gave a silent nod. She smiled and linked her arm around his before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Let's go home, forget what happened, and spend time together tonight, Ryuji-kun. Don't hate yourself anymore. Let it go."

Ryuji sighed and finally spoke, "How did I get so lucky to find a wonderful girl like you, Koto-chan?"

"The same way that I'm so lucky to find a boy like you, Ryuji-kun," she answered with a smile. "It's Fate."

Ryuji chuckled, his mood brighter than before. The train stopped in front of the duo before they boarded and it took them to the station close to their home. In the seat they shared, she leaned in against him.

* * *

Hikari was really enjoying her date with Benitora. She had been showing him all around town so he could get to know it. He hadn't been in town long and the only places he knew was the school, his apartment, and Hikari's family's café. Benitora too enjoyed being with Hikari. He had a strange feeling of warmth whenever he was around her. The feeling was far from being unwelcomed. He wondered if this is what it was like to be alive. It had been so long he had forgotten that feeling.

She had taken him to the Radish and introduced him to the others there, though Sekai remembered him from the trip to Kyoto and from class. Currently they were walking along the sidewalk. He really enjoyed her company.

Then, the two heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see someone walking towards them. Benitora's eyes narrowed when he sensed the Reiatsu as Hikari identified the person. "It's Ryan!" she gasped. She never expected to see him show up.

"Who?" Benitora questioned. Hikari then told him that Ryan was one of Ryuji's friends when he first showed up at school. After the school festival, Ryan just left along with Ryuki and the others. Only Ryuji stayed to be with Kotonoha.

Still, Benitora could sense the killing intent and became wary of this Ryan.

Ryan was stalking towards them, his bright pink hair making him stand out like a sore thumb. In his hand was his Zanpakuto, Kachidoki, in its tuning fork form. He tapped it against his hand and raised it up to his forehead, summoning the small skull that started to appear. Hikari gasped in surprise when she saw this.

"A Hollow Mask?" muttered Benitora in shock.

'_Hey moron! That guy's a Vizard and he's bad news!_' shouted a voice in his head.

'_Not helping Rojotigre!_' replied Benitora.

The flames that engulfed Ryan turned red before they dispersed and standing in the pink haired young man's place was a man wearing red body armor with a circular medallion on his chest that held a skull emblem. Extending from the medallion in four directions were chains. Two went over his shoulders and the other two went under the arms, connecting to the back. Around his waist was a belt with a circular buckle that also held a skull emblem. His face was covered by a skull mask with empty black eyes, horns and red facial markings. With a flick of his wrists, the armored Vizard summoned his twin Drum Clubs, Hibiki.

"You and me, Arrancar," spoke Kamen Rider Crimson Oni. "Let's dance!"

"Hikari-chan, run!" shouted Benitora, pushing Hikari back to urge her to run. Hikari looked at him. Upon seeing the fear in his eyes, she decided her best course of action was to run. Benitora looked back at Oni, but his fear-filled green eyes were gone, replaced by malicious golden eyes. Benitora's hands glowed red. "Bring it Vizard!"

* * *

Kat chuckled as she watched this happen. She'd given Ryan a hypnotic suggestion by manipulating his hatred for Hollows and Arrancar. So Benitora might get killed but at least she'd be able to get even with the guy. Now, she had other things on her mind. In her hand was a list and she was looking at another item on it.

"And my next target is…The Arrows of Eros," Kat grinned. It was going to turn an interesting week for them all.

* * *

ZK Chromdragozoid: Oh, crap! Kat sent Ryan to kill Benitora and what does she plan to do with Eros' arrows? Nothing good. Well, wait for the next update. Of course, here's something extra.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER IFRIT**

**HYPER BATTLE VIDEO OMAKE**

**KOTONOHA: "I WANT TO BE A RIDER!"**

Kotonoha Katsura was in her house's lawn doing some exercise. She was in her gym clothes and working out. It looked like she was in training for something. The only clue was the headband around her head that had the words "Rider in Training" written across it. She was currently doing some jumping jacks on the spot with Athena and Kat monitoring.

"Alright, you can stop now," said Kat.

"Hai, coach!" Kotonoha stopped.

"Well, you seem to have the stamina to be a Rider," said Kat as she walked around Kotonoha and looking her over. Kat was wearing a black tracksuit with a headband that read "Kamen Rider CopyKat" across it. She got behind Kotonoha and then to the other girl's surprise groped her breasts. "And you got nice form too!"

Kotonoha shrieked and escaped from her coach who was laughing. "Oh, that was easy!"

"Kat-san!" Kotonoha blushed. No one else but her own boyfriend was allowed to grope her like that.

"Oh, lighten up. Being a Rider meant being ready for anything," said Kat.

"Including perverts," agreed Athena.

"But I really want to be a Rider soon!" whined Kotonoha. "When will I get my own armor?"

"Well, we need to know what's compatible so let's take a look, shall we?" said Kat as a white screen and movie projector appeared out of nowhere. "And…roll em!"

* * *

On the screen was none other than Ryuji Hasuma sliding his pass into his belt and changing into Kamen Rider Ifrit in his Ifrit Form armor.

Kat's Voiceover: "Kamen Rider Ifrit, also known as Ryuji Hasuma, is a newbie Rider with a whole lot of fighting experience under his belt. He was originally a villain who turned to good. Using the Ifrit Belt and Pass, seemingly normal Ryuji will transform into Kamen Rider Ifrit. His reason for being a Rider can be described as both noble and romantic at best. As Ifrit, he uses a pair of Chinese broad swords, or Dao, to inflict critical damage on any Imagin. His finisher in this form is charged up slash attack using his swords that freezes the target immediately before it shatters. There are several variations of the finisher. So far there hasn't been any Imagin who can defeat him."

The screen finally showed Ifrit using his finisher, freezing his opponent with a slash attack before it shattered when he snapped his fingers.

Kat's voiceover: "Now that's cool."

* * *

Kotonoha had hearts in her eyes as she gazed upon her boyfriend's Rider form. "Sugoi. Ryuji-kun is so cool. Kat coughed and continued the movie.

* * *

On the screen was Kamen Rider Ifrit swiping Loki's ticket over the belt and assuming his red and black armored form known as Loki Form. It also came with a cape.

Kat's Voiceover: "Now, every Rider needs to have some extra options, right? Well, for Ifrit, he has a second form known as **Loki Form**. To assume his form, he must combine with his Imagin partner Loki. Unlike most combinations, their minds and personalities combine though I suspect that it is mostly Ryuji's personality in control. While his previous form used ice in its attacks, this form can use fire. Loki Form is also armed with a huge dozuki known as the Loki Slicer. Hm…I wonder where he got the idea to use that as a weapon from."

The screen finally showed Ifrit Loki Form using the Loki Slicer to slice an enemy Imagin in half.

* * *

Kotonoha blushed and giggled. She knew Ryuji made that weapon in honor of her. It was a sweet gesture.

"OK, so now let's see his battles, shall we?" said Kat as she played several battle scenes from previous 'episodes'. Ifrit was victorious in each of them. "Well, I guess now we know what inspired you," Kat said, giving Kotonoha a look.

"Well, Ryuji-kun is just so strong," said Kotonoha.

"Of course he is," Kat grinned. "But don't forget that he's not the only Rider here." Kat pointed to herself, "And, I'm talking about myself!"

* * *

The screen now showed Kat transforming into Kamen Rider CopyKat. She inserted a card into her belt buckle which then split open to reveal a golden tiger crest. Her armor formed afterwards and she was donned in black armor themed after a tiger.

Kat's voiceover: "I am Kamen Rider CopyKat and I draw power from my partner, Byakko no Gai. In this form all my stats are increased and I get a cool suit of armor too. Also, I am armed with a pair of battle axes that I can use to hack and slash at enemies. Aside from axes, I am also armed with a pair of clawed gauntlets I can use to slice and dice anyone that gets in my way. I am the coolest Rider by far…"

The screen finally showed CopyKat using her axes to finish off an enemy monster by chopping it into four pieces.

* * *

"Chotto matte!" Kat heard and looked up to see two people standing on the stone fence surrounding the house.

"Who's there!?" shouted Kat.

The two figures leapt off the wall and landed, revealing themselves to be Neko and Kenzaki. They both wore headbands that read "Kamen Rider Garoh" for Kenzaki and "Kamen Rider Ryukendo" for Neko.

"Hello, Nee-chan!" greeted Neko happily. Kenzaki just gave a grunt.

"What the hell are you two doing here!?" Kat pointed at them.

"We're here to set the record straight that YOU are NOT the coolest Rider by far," said Kenzaki. "Neko, you got the disc?"

"Hai!" Neko said as she removed the disc that was in the projector before replacing it. "And we're clear!"

* * *

On the screen it showed Kenzaki changing into Kamen Rider Garoh.

Kenzaki's voiceover: "If you think you're the coolest then you're wrong. I'm the best Rider there is. To date I have 6 forms altogether. The first one is **Hunter Form**. By joining forces with my Wolf Imagin partner, Okami, I change into this black armored Rider Form. My weapon is a scimitar that I use to cut my enemies to ribbons. My second form is dubbed **Predator Form**. In this form I cooperate with my White Tiger Imagin partner, Byakko. I use mainly hand-to-hand tactics in this form but I also am armed with an axe. Next, is **Rampage Form** and to assume this form I need to summon and combine with my golden Lion Imagin partner, Raion. I use a naginata to pierce at my foes. My 4th form is a real hot one dubbed **Savage Form** and when I combine with Buraki we can really heat things up. I use a gun that shoots fireballs. Then there's **Emperor Form** and my final form known as **Lunar Form**, which is powerful enough to destroy even the most evil of threats."

The screen finally showed Garoh Lunar Form performing the Shoku Giri.

Kenzaki's voiceover: "So, who's the cool one now?"

* * *

Neko and Kotonoha applauded at the presentation that caused Kat to growl. "OK, you got more forms than I do, but that doesn't mean…" Kat, however, was interrupted by her sister.

"My turn!" Neko said cheerfully.

* * *

"Gekiryu Henshin!" The screen showed Neko transforming into Ryukendo.

Neko's voiceover: "When I use Geki-chan, I can transform into Kamen Rider Ryukendo. I use Geki-chan as a weapon and I have several powerful attacks. My armor also protects me from any harm and I also have a shield to defend myself further. When I perform my attacks with Geki-chan, I can use the power of ice, water, wind, fire and lightning. These powerful attacks allow me to defeat any opponent I face."

The screen finally showed Ryukendo performing all her known attacks like Ryuou Kaze Giri, Ryuou Mizu Giri, Ryuou Kaen Giri, Ryuou Hyoketsu Giri, Ryuou Raimei Giri and finally Kyuukyouku Ryuou Giri.

* * *

When Neko finished her presentation, she could see Kat and Kenzaki arguing over who was cooler. Neko sighed and turned to Kotonoha who shrugged.

"Hey, is this a private party or can anybody drop in?" asked Warren. He was wearing a scarf that had the words "Skull Rider Wraith" stitched into it.

"Warren-san!" Kotonoha identified.

"Now, let me show you who's the real cool Rider is," grinned Warren as he slid in his disc after ejecting Neko's.

* * *

"Shatter!" The screen showed Warren transforming into Skull Rider Wraith.

Warren's voiceover: "I use the power of darkness to assume the form of Skull Rider Wraith. While I don't look much, I am the most powerful Rider here. And, if you must know, I got a whole lot more power in me than I'm allowed to show. Let's just say I can destroy the world if I try to let it all out. Consider yourselves all lucky that I'm nothing like my other half, Damien."

The screen finally showed Wraith binding an enemy in dark shadow chains before executing a Rider Kick to destroy the target.

* * *

Kotonoha applauded at the presentation and Warren smirked. He boasted, "Now, I think we can all agree that I'm the coolest."

Kat shouted, "Hold on! You're not the coolest!"

"And just because your kids say you are, doesn't mean it's true," Kenzaki added.

"Maybe we should let Kotonoha-chan decide," said Neko.

"Ano…" Kotonoha blinked. "I really can't decide…"

"You don't have to," said Ryuji as he walked over. He wore a scarf that had the words "Kamen Rider Ifrit" stitched into it. He gave Kotonoha a kiss on the cheek. "I think she and I can agree I'm the coolest one here." The temperature then fell several degrees causing everyone but Ryuji and Kotonoha to shiver.

* * *

The screen shows Ryuji transforming using the Dyno Belt and Pass to transform into Kamen Rider Ifrit Version 2.

Ryuji's voiceover: "In Kyoto, I found the belt linked to my train, the DynoLiner. At first it was fossilized but as soon as I touched it, it was restored and I've been using it since. Like Kenzaki/Garoh, I too possess multiple forms but unlike him I don't need to be possessed by an Imagin. My first new form is **Sabre Form** and isn't much different from my Ifrit Form. The only difference is that the armor is entirely black. In this form I can wield my Ifrit Dao and Sub-Zero Shooters. The next form I have access to is **Mammoth Form** and despite the loss of speed, this form is no pushover. With the increase of power, I can overpower almost any Imagin I come across with sheer brute strength. Then, there's **Tyrano Form**. The lighter armor gives me more flexibility and I possess incredible speed to the point that I become a mere blur. I am armed with the Tyrano-Katana which are blades hidden within my shoulder pads that look like T-Rex heads. Finally, I got **Tricera Form**. This form possesses a lot of defensive potential and protects me from any attack without leaving a scratch on it. The weapon I use in this form is the Tricera-Buster, which is my triceratops head-shaped shoulder armor that attaches to my fist. It can shoot powerful bursts of energy. When I use my Full Charge with these forms, I can destroy any Imagin with ease."

The screen then showed the Full Charge finishers for each of the forms. Sabre Form used the freezing slash, Mammoth Form uses a Rider Kick after freezing the target, Tyrano Form slashed the enemy to ribbons and finally Tricera Form destroyed the enemy using a punch equipped with the Tricera-Buster.

Ryuji's voiceover: "That was pretty cool, huh?"

* * *

"Sugoi!" said Kotonoha as her eyes sparkled. "Ryuji-kun is really cool!" Everyone else sighed. Of course Kotonoha would say Ryuji was the coolest. She was his girlfriend and was pretty biased. Not a good judge for something like this.

"There, problem-" Ryuji began before his watch beeped. "Imagin?"

"Then let's go!" shouted Neko. "Gekiryu Henshin!"

"Henshin!" called out Kat.

"Henshin!" called out Kenzaki.

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

"Henshin!" called out Ryuji.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

"Shatter!" called out Warren.

Kotonoha witnessed as the five Riders transformed. Kotonoha was awed. Now was her chance.

"I want to help," volunteered Kotonoha.

"Koto-chan, we've talk about this," Ifrit said to her.

"Please…." Kotonoha did the 'Puppy-Dog Pout'. This made Ifrit cave instantly.

"Fine," he sighed. "Koto-chan, take this," said Ifrit as he handed Kotonoha his old Pass. "Now, let's go."

* * *

Several Imagin were cornering Otome, Makoto, Sekai and Taisuke in the Radish as they cowered in fear. The Imagin were a Bat, Crab, Spider, Scorpion, Wasp and Rabbit.

"I'm gonna die a virgin!" Taisuke cried.

"Sekai, I love you!" confessed Makoto as he held Sekai.

"I love you too, Makoto!" confessed Sekai as she hugged back.

Otome could only sigh. "Guess I'll die without ever having a boyfriend," she muttered.

However, the four teens were saved when the Kamen Riders showed up and pushed the Imagin away from them with their weapons. Sparks flew as their weapons struck at the Imagin. Otome and Taisuke cheered.

"Come on," said Kotonoha. "Let's get out of here."

"Kotonoha?" blinked Makoto. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you all out of here, now follow me," Kotonoha said as she led them away from the Radish. She looked back inside the restaurant to see her boyfriend in trouble. "No…" She gripped the Rider Pass in her hand. She then strode towards the restaurant but Makoto's hand was on her shoulder. "Makoto-kun, let me go."

"But it's dangerous!" he objected.

"Not with this," Kotonoha said as she showed him her Rider Pass. The belt formed around her waist, much to his surprise. It was Ifrit's old belt. She then pressed a button on the top of the belt, calling out, "Henshin!" She slid the pass inside.

"**IFRIT FORM!**"

The blue bodysuit and black armor formed over her body as her head became encased in the helmet. Blue chest armor snapped onto her chest as black shoulder pads snapped onto her shoulders. Finally, a black grilled visor slid down the helmet to snap onto her faceplate. Her friends gawked at her, stunned.

"Oh my God!!!" Otome screamed.

"Katsura-san is Kamen Rider Ifrit!?" Taisuke screamed. Makoto and Sekai looked like fish out of water with their mouths opening and closing.

The new female Rider, now known as Kamen Rider Efreet, was now ready for battle. She dashed into the restaurant to aid her fellow Riders who were just finishing up.

"**FULL CHARGE!!!**" both the Garoh and Dyno Belts announced after the Passes were waved in front of them. The Two Riders' weapons were energized and they then slashed their swords through their Imagin enemies, destroying them completely in one blow. They gave each other thumbs up.

As for the two female Riders with them, CopyKat was energizing her blades with Rinki, causing them to glow black and purple, as Ryukendo energized her sword with red Geki. They then swung down their weapons and sliced the Imagin in half and destroyed them.

Wraith leapt off a table and energized his foot with his power before smashing it into the Imagin's head. It crashed into several tables before blowing up.

There was one last Imagin remaining and the others agreed that this would be Kotonoha's. Efreet (Kotonoha) dashed forward and threw a fist at the Imagin's face. The Rabbit Imagin stumbled back and tried a counter attack by punching at her but Efreet grabbed its fist before tossing it to the ground. She then grabbed its ankles and spun around and around before tossing her 'passenger' into a wall. The Imagin was dizzy and disoriented as it got up.

"Koto-chan," whispered Ifrit into her ear, "Finish it."

"Hai, Ryuji-kun," nodded Efreet as she pressed the switch.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The energy flowed from her belt and arched off her body before settling in her feet. She then jumped up and threw herself at the Imagin, her right foot extended and aimed at it, as she performed a flying side kick that smashed it into the wall. The energy then built up inside of the Imagin before it exploded and sent to oblivion.

Outside the Radish, Makoto, Sekai, Otome and Taisuke were awed by what they'd witnessed. Of course…

"Oh my! My restaurant!" gasped Youko Saionji, Sekai's mother and the manager of the restaurant. "It's ruined!" And she was right. The entire interior of the restaurant was destroyed in the fight.

* * *

Needless to say the Riders needed to fix the damage they'd caused and paid for it out of their own pockets. Later, Makoto, Sekai, Otome and Taisuke joined Kotonoha at her home as the Riders, minus Kotonoha, remained in Rider Form. They were now voting on who the coolest Rider was.

"And the coolest Rider is…" Ifrit began as he read a sheet of paper. "I can't believe it. The coolest Rider is none other than…" The screen showed Kotonoha's face while wearing the armor and doing a 'V for Victory' sign with a bright smile on her face. "Kotonoha Katsura! Kamen Rider Efreet!"

"Congratulations," Sekai hugged her friend.

"Unfortunately, you four can't remember any of this," said Ifrit before whipping out his SB-Cell and flashing their eyes with it, erasing their memories of this before he and the other Riders de-henshined. The flash also knocked the four civilians out.

Kotonoha then turned towards the camera and smiled, "Now, everyone, if you wish to become a Rider, work hard and make sure you have a heart filled with justice. See you later!" She waved. Behind her, the Riders were carrying the unconscious civilians away.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: I just had to do this for an Omake. Well, hope you all can enjoy the new chapter that comes after this one as much as this one. Ciao!


	20. The Evil Cometh

Ryunosuke Kazama, or Ryan to his friends, had always hated Hollows. They were the ones that had ruined it life and it'd started a long time ago. He'd been only a young boy living in a small village Soul Society when a Hollow who'd killed some of his friends took possession of his body. The Hollow wanted to use his body as a disguise so it could eat everyone else in his village.

Fortunately, Ryan had the ability to suppress the Hollow. He didn't know where this power had come from but he was grateful for it. However, he knew he couldn't go home anymore so he left Soul Society. That was when he was found by the other Vizards and given a home and a place to be accepted.

The Vizards had trained him in both the ways of the Shinigami and also how to utilize the powers of the Hollow within him. The first time had been disastrous but overtime he was able to overcome the Hollow's influence on him.

Due to the great power he possessed, an invisible seal was placed upon the spot where his Hollow hole emerged. Not only that, his Zanpakuto had to be split into 4 different Zanpakuto, each with unique names and forms. Due to his love of music they assumed the form of musical instruments.

Then he realized that his Vizard form was different from the rest. His body would be clad in black suit of body armor with chains extending from the seal and he wore a black mask that covered his entire head. The Hollow mask ended up on his forehead and the faceless mask was decorated with red facial markings and two horns.

Wanting to master this form, he left the Vizards and traveled the world. He then met with the Kamen Riders and joined them in their training, eventually becoming one of them and being given his own Rider name. He was from then on known as Kamen Rider Oni.

Of course, despite his love of music and his heart filled with justice, he would always hate Hollows and Arrancar. There was an exception but he hated the majority of the creatures that had cost him so much.

* * *

**"THE EVIL COMETH"**

* * *

Miyako hated being out of the loop. Ever since meeting Ryuji and finding out he was one of the Kamen Riders she'd always been kept within the loop. She knew the Riders' identities and promised to keep them a secret in exchange for any information she could use for an article. Now this had to happen and she had to find out from other sources…like YouTube for example.

"Why didn't you tell me you had other forms!" Miyako demanded as she sat in the living room with Ryuji and Kotonoha who were sitting across from her. "Do you know how frustrating it is to find out things like this from watching YouTube?"

"You spend way too much time on that site, you know that?" Ryuji pointed out but Miyako glared.

"Well, anyway, why didn't you tell me you had more forms?" asked Miyako. The world had gotten the scoop on him with the giant monster in Kyoto and now the new forms of Ifrit.

"I wanted to surprise you?" Ryuji used as an answer but Miyako wasn't buying it. She had been lied to before by lots of people in her life, so she knew when someone was trying to pull the wool over her eyes.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" Miyako accused.

"Serizawa-san, it's not that. Ryuji-kun doesn't trust you. It's only that he wanted to master his new belt first," defended Kotonoha.

"And that's another thing," Miyako said. "How did you get that new belt?"

"You mean this?" said Ryuji as he raised the Dyno Belt for her to inspect. "Let's just say it was a steal."

Miyako wondered what he meant by that and quirked an eyebrow. It didn't matter at the moment though. She had some very pressing questions. "Well, in any case, I want to know about all these new forms you got and some pictures, OK."

"Fine…" sighed Ryuji. He had been expecting this at the very least. It might get her off his back, for a little while anyway.

"Oh, and I also heard you were fighting a new monster today," said Miyako. Ryuji knew what she meant by that. He'd been battling an Arrancar. "Care to elaborate."

Ryuji was about to speak up when he felt two powerful Ki signatures. He identified the first one as the Arrancar's and the other one was someone familiar. "Ryan?"

"Huh?" Miyako blinked. "Who?"

"Gotta go!" Ryuji called before he made a dash for the door.

"Hey wait!" Miyako cried as she tried to follow. "My exclusive!" When she opened the door after him, he was gone. He'd taken the DynoLiner, much to her frustration. "Drat!" She then gave a sigh and turned towards Kotonoha. She knew she could get something useful from Ryuji's girlfriend. "Hey, Kotonoha-san, how about an interview?"

* * *

"Rend their flesh and devour their hearts…Tigre de la Muerte!"

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, Rojotigre assumed his released state. This just made Oni stare at him with even more hate as Rojotigre clicked his claws. The now armored Arrancar darted forward and slammed his fist into the red Oni's chest that sent him flying backwards. Oni did a flip through the air and landed on his feet.

"I suggest you leave me alone, now," demanded Rojotigre. Unfortunately, Oni would not obey. Oni decided, like the Arrancar, to take his power to the next level.

"_Bankai!_" Crimson Oni called out as he unleashed his full power. His musical instruments/weapons, flew into the air. He caught Kachidoki and the other instruments became energy that bonded with the tuning fork-like Zanpakuto. In place of the tuning fork was now a sword with a black blade that was trimmed in red with an oni skull-shaped guard. The blade was connected with the top of the skull and was curved slightly like a katana blade. The back of the skull also had a shorter blade that was aligned with the main blade, making the sword look like a pincer weapon.

Energy engulfed Oni has his body armor changed. It turned completely black but then gained red and gold gauntlets and boots along with matching torso armor with sharp shoulders. Red flaps of armor hung from his belt. His mask also changed, turning red on the upper half with two extra horns and the eyes becoming covered by a black visor.

He was now in his Bankai form known only as Armed Oni and his Zanpakuto was the Oni no Amudo Yaiba...Oni's true Zanpakuto.

* * *

Ryuji wasn't the only one who'd sensed the sudden rise in Reiatsu. Warren and his wife, Rachel, were both spiritually aware and could sense the two releases. Warren knew both of them well. One was Benitora/Rojotigre while the other was his teammate, Ryan/Oni. The only reason they'd be in their released states was because...they were fighting.

"Should've known this was going to happen," said Warren as he got up from the couch. "Rae, stay here and put a shield around the house. We don't know if the kids are spiritually aware yet, and something like this could be bad for them." Rachel stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Be careful," said Rachel as she planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"I always am, my dark angel," said Warren as he vanished.

* * *

Kenzaki and Neko both sensed the rise of Ki and knew that they had to act fast. This wasn't an Imagin. This was something else.

"Let's go," ordered Kenzaki.

"Hai, Ken-kun," nodded Neko.

* * *

Sparks flew as both Armed Oni's Zanpakuto and Rojotigre's claws clashed as they battled. Both were antithesis of each other. One was a Vizard while the other was an Arrancar. Both were Shinigami and Hollow hybrids on different sides of the spectrum. Maybe this was why this battle was meant to happen. Then again, outside interference was also the cause of this battle. Kat would experience the consequences, if she got caught for this of course.

Ryuji arrived to the scene via the DynoLiner and he could see the two powerful spiritual beings in battle. Not only that, he could see Hikari standing there, shell-shocked, as she was seeing this. She just couldn't believe all this was happening but indeed it was.

"Oi, Hikari!" shouted Ryuji and the girl spun around to see him approaching.

"Ryuji, what's going on!" she demanded to know. Could he give her an answer? Had she seen…? "I saw Benitora turn into that monster we saw fighting Ifrit and then I saw Ryan change into a Kamen Rider! What's happening?"

"Hikari, there are some things you are just not meant to know about," said Ryuji as he focused his eyes on the fight that was happening in the sky. After his talk with Kotonoha, he'd been deep in thought. It was true that Benitora and himself were a lot alike. To be honest, he hadn't been fair either and had attacked Benitora without getting to know him. Now, his friend Ryan was attacking the Arrancar so there had to be a good reason for it, right?

Not too far away, Neko and Kenzaki were running towards the scene after the GaroLiner had dropped them off. They could sense two powerful Ki signatures clashing and these were signatures they were familiar with. One was Oni while the other was the Arrancar whose name was Benitora.

"What do you think is going on, Ken-kun?" asked Neko.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," said Kenzaki.

"Still, for something to produce this much Ki…" began Gekiryuken before he paused. He'd sensed a spike of power.

"Let's go," said Kenzaki. They soon arrived to the spot where the battle was taking place and found Ryuji and Hikari there.

Oni pointed his hand at Rojotigre and began to charge up a Cero. However, Rojotigre used Sonido to get behind Oni, shooting a Bala blast right into his back. Back on the ground, the shadows next to Ryuji flickered as Warren arrived.

"Damn it," cursed Warren.

"Sensei?" blinked Hikari. "Where did you come from?'

Warren ignored her and walked up to Ryuji. He asked, "You know what's going on?"

"They're fighting," said Ryuji. "But…I'm not sure why."

"I thought you'd be glad that the Arrancar was getting what he deserved," said Warren snidely.

Ryuji looked ashamed and said, "I've had a lot to think about regarding how I treated him."

"I see…"

"Still, why is Ryan fighting him?" Ryuji asked with some degree of confusion.

"Think about it. Who's the one person from our group not here right now, despite the obvious spike in spiritual pressure?" asked Warren.

Ryuji's eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion. "You think Kat has something to do with this?" asked Ryuji.

"No, I know she did. There's a small trace of spiritual residue on Ryan that bears the same feel of Kat's spiritual pressure."

"But then why…?" Ryuji didn't need to ask. He realized the answer. He knew why. His sister hated losing and being humiliated in front of the whole school was definitely upsetting her and wounded her pride. She would try to get even with Rojotigre/Benitora for her humiliation. "She's trying to get even with him."

"Should've known she was involved somehow," said Kenzaki scornfully.

Neko wanted to say something in Kat's defense but even she could believe her dark twin would do this. Kat took her honor and pride seriously and by humiliating her, Benitora had incurred her wrath. She wanted to kill him, and what better way than to use a Vizard who could match an Arrancar's power?

Both Oni and Rojotigre jumped back and began charging Ceros to fire at each other. Oni was shocked when his arm was knocked upward. "Warren!" he shouted as he realized his fellow Rider had knocked his arm upward. Rojotigre took this as his chance and fired. However, Warren held out his hand and stopped the Cero blast before cancelling it out.

"This fight's done. You two are coming with me," said Warren.

"Warren, he's dangerous!" insisted Oni but then Warren placed two fingers against Oni's forehead.

"Dispel," Warren commanded and Oni's form shimmered before he turned back to his human form. Still floating in the air, Ryan blinked and clutched his head, groaning. "Ugh, what happened?"

Warren answered, "I'll explain later." He then turned his attention towards the Arrancar. "You might wanna reseal your power too," Warren advised Rojotigre. The Arrancar reluctantly obeyed and sealed his power back into his Zanpakuto which he hid. Now Benitora again, the three spiritual beings floated back down to Earth. Benitora looked towards Hikari who looked frightened and he turned his eyes away in shame.

Ryuji tapped Warren's shoulder and asked, "Should I erase her memories?"

"No," Warren shook his head. "However, I want you to talk to Kat."

"I'm on it," nodded Ryuji.

"We're coming too," Kenzaki volunteered himself along with Neko. "She's got some explaining to do."

"Yes, I want to know why she did this as well," said Neko.

"OK, you three can go and have a little chat with Kat," said Warren. He turned his eyes on Hikari. "And, Hikari-san?"

"Hai, Warren-sensei?" Hikari spoke.

"You're coming with me too. You want answers too, don't you?" asked Warren.

Hikari turned her eyes towards Benitora. She was slightly afraid of him but worried too. She wanted to know more about what was going on. What was Benitora? Who was he really? "I wish to know what's going on."

Warren smiled, "Very well then. I sure hope you didn't have a huge meal before this because this is going to be a bumpy ride." He snapped his fingers, causing Benitora, Ryan, Hikari and himself to vanish in a flash of darkness.

"Now, for your sister," said Kenzaki.

The GaroLiner raced towards the three Riders and picked them up before speeding away towards Kat's apartment.

* * *

Benitora, Ryan and Hikari all appeared in Warren's home along with him. Warren's kids, Tessa and Alex immediately noticed their "Uncle Ryan" and went to say hi to him. Ryan loved seeing the twins and patted their heads before turning towards Warren to ask him something.

"So, Warren, how did you know where to go, and how were you able to stop our attacks?" asked Ryan.

"It's no simple task to stop two Cero blasts before they are released," added Benitora.

"That's simple, Ryan. I stopped your attacks because I'm much stronger than both of you. And finding you was simple given the amount of spiritual energy you were releasing. If I couldn't find you and stop you, it'd embarrass my Squad."

"Your squad?" asked Benitora.

"Oh that's right, you two don't know, and I haven't told Ryan yet. I am currently Captain of Squad 9 of the Soul Society's Gotei 13," answered Warren.

* * *

Kat was presently at home relaxing. She had a pretty satisfying evening. By sending Oni to take care of Rojotigre, she would not need to dirty her hands. She could sense both Ki signatures clashing but then they'd just vanished. "What's going on?"

"Something the matter, Big Sis?" asked Bobby as he turned his eyes away from the TV to take notice of his partner's discomfort.

"Something's up and I don't like it," said Kat. "There was a knock at the door."

"Kat, can you get that?" asked Rose from the kitchen. "I have my hands full here."

"OK, honey," said Kat as she stood up and walked towards the door. She was about to reach for the knob when she froze. There were three familiar Ki signatures on the other side and one of them was angry. Should she open it? She didn't have to. The door unlocked itself and was thrown wide open when a fist collided with Kat's face and sent her flying into the apartment. She crashed into the wall, shocking Bobby, Rose, and Cathy who'd been taking a catnap. Kat slumped against the wall and snarled, wiping the blood off her broken lip as she looked to see Kenzaki standing at the entrance with Ryuji and Neko with him. Ryuji had opened the door with a spare key and Kenzaki had burst in, attacking Kat.

"You know that by attacking me you made a challenge," said Kat as a bruise was starting to form on her cheek.

"Well, you had it coming," responded Kenzaki, gripping his fists tightly.

"I can't imagine how you came to that conclusion," Kat frowned, holding her bruised cheek. This…was turning out bad for her.

"Don't play stupid. It doesn't suit you," Ryuji growled. "You set up Ryan to fight against Benitora."

"Don't bother lying, Onee-chan," Neko frowned. "Warren-san felt your Rinki signature against his Reiatsu. He knows it was you and he told us."

"Oh crap," Kat gulped. She didn't know that Warren had that little ability. Now she didn't think things were going wrong, she KNEW they were going wrong.

"Big Sis," Bobby grumbled. "Didn't you promise Rose you weren't going to pull stunts like that while we're here?"

"I seem to recall that too, Bobby," Rose frowned, tapping her foot on the floor. "Kat, you promised that we'd be relatively normal here. Picking a fight with the Arrancar is one thing when you and Ryuji thought he was a threat. But to manipulate people to fight him for you?"

"Hey, Slade-sama did it all the time!" Kat whined.

"That's in our home world! Not here!" Rose snapped. "That's it, no nookie for a week!"

"AH! Rosie-chan!" Kat cried.

"Do you wanna try for two?" Rose frowned.

"Mama's in trouble," Cathy giggled.

Kat growled and glared towards Kenzaki. '_You'll get yours, Kenny. Oh, you'll get yours for sure_.'

"I could take you in, you know?" reminded Kenzaki. "You still have a bounty on your head. It's not high but I can make an exception."

"And you, Neko-chan?" asked Kat. "Do you agree that I should be punished?"

Neko looked to her toes and clenched her fists. She gave a weak nod.

"I see," sighed Kat before letting out a weak chuckled, "Even my own family turns against me. Well, it's expected. I am the black sheep."

"Kat-neechan, I don't mean…" Neko tried to explain herself but her voice got caught in her throat by the red-eyed gaze Kat was giving her. "Please, promise you won't be causing any trouble. Swear on your honor." Neko knew that Kat took her honor seriously. That was the only way to control her.

"Sorry, but I can't do that," Kat objected. "You see, chaos is fun. When I cause trouble I cause chaos. It gets boring without chaos, don't you think?"

"Alright, that's it," said Kenzaki as he got out a pair of handcuffs. "I'm placing you under arrest!"

"Just try it!" Kat snapped as her Rinki flared from her body, taking shape of a lioness around her. Kenzaki's Geki also took shape, forming into a wolf. "Try it and I'm going to smear your blood all over these walls."

"Nee-chan! Ken-kun! Yamette kudasai!" Neko shouted. She didn't want her sister and boyfriend to fight.

"Kat, STOP!" shouted Rose.

Kat closed her eyes and allowed her Rinki to fade as Kenzaki did the same. "Fine…but don't expect me not to cause trouble. It's in my nature. I am what I am."

"Well, I'll be there to stop you," swore Kenzaki.

"We shall see," Kat smirked sinisterly. Kenzaki hated that look. It was the same face that had killed his family. The red eyes gleamed darkly.

"Let's go," ordered Kenzaki. "I can't stomach looking at her face anymore."

"Which is ironic since Neko-chan and I share the same face," quipped Kat. Kenzaki ignored her and walked out the door with Neko following after him. Neko glanced at her sister briefly before exiting with Kenzaki. "Cheh, bleeding hearts." She noticed that Ryuji was still there. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm not done with you yet," growled Ryuji.

"I'm surprised you're here at all," Kat shot back. "I mean I thought you wanted that Arrancar dead as much as I do."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking. Killing him now without a good reason would be unfair," said Ryuji. "Sides, while my reasons were noble, your reasons were selfish. You just wanted to get even with him."

"So what if I'm selfish! You want a reason! He humiliated us! He's also a risk to everyone!" Kat screamed.

"The same as us," Ryuji rebutted. "We've been to the dark side before."

Kat argued, "Still, you can't deny he's possibly an even bigger threat than us."

"I know, but I think it's only fair that we treat him as innocent until proven guilty," said Ryuji.

"You've changed," said Kat.

"We've all changed. It's all part of growing up," he said.

"Well, all I know is that the old you wouldn't hesitate to kill."

"I'm not a murderer anymore, Kat. That's not who I am."

Kat snorted, "Obviously."

"And this is also about you manipulating my teammate," said Ryuji. "That was uncalled for."

"Whatever it takes," said Kat. "That's what Slade-sama taught us."

"Well, then I guess I'm a deviant," Ryuji crossed his arms. "Next time, don't try and manipulate my friends again. Good night." He turned towards the door and walked out, slamming the door close behind him after exiting the apartment. Kat watched him leave. Her nails had dug into her palms and they were bleeding but she ignored them.

* * *

Hikari was feeling a little shell-shocked at what she was hearing so far. From what she understood, there were actual Shinigami and ghosts that existed in the world. Spirits who were new or had been dead for a little while were called Wholes and acted like they did in life, only they were dead. The other ones were called Hollows, spirits who had been on Earth for so long that they lost their hearts or had been eaten by other Hollows.

Benitora used to be a Hollow until he managed to gain the powers of a Shinigami and removed almost all of his mask. The only part left was the bottom jaw she had thought to be a necklace. She also saw his hole and it broke her heart to hear how he had lost his heart so long ago.

Ryan was the opposite. He had started off as a Shinigami, but gained the powers of a Hollow with a mask to go with it. It was a little weird, but she could deal with that.

"I am…stunned," Hikari blinked. She and the others were in Warren's home where he explained the situation.

"I know," Warren nodded. "It's a lot to take in."

"So, Benitora-kun is an Arrancar and is an…Espada?" Hikari asked uncertainly.

"Former fifth," Benitora nodded sadly. "It means I was the fifth strongest in the organization."

"Oh, and Warren-sensei is one of the…Gotei 13?" Hikari continued.

"Hey, even death gods need to get organized," Warren chuckled. "How would they keep track of all the people who died?"

Hikari's eyes were on Benitora who refused to look back at her. It broke her heart to see him like this. She could not imagine how he must've suffered and how long he'd suffered like this. Did he even remember who he had been when he used to be human?

"I think these two need some time alone," Warren commented.

"Right," Ryan nodded before both men left the room. The only ones who were left were Hikari and Benitora.

Benitora was silent for a little while before he looked up to Hikari. She was waiting patiently for him to say something, but he didn't know what to say. Well, if all else failed, he would have to apologize.

"I'm sorry…for lying to you," he spoke.

"I'm fine with that," Hikari answered. "I don't think I would have believed it if you didn't tell me and prove it."

"Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't want to see me anymore," Benitora nodded.

"No!" Hikari gasped. "I still like you, Benitora-kun! I really do! So what if you're some kind of ghost man or something? You sure feel real enough to me!"

Benitora nodded, but then stood up and opened his shirt. Hikari's eyes landed on the hole where his heart should have been and the jaw of his old mask resting near his collarbone.

"My heart is hollow, Hikari-han," Benitora sighed. "I know I like being around you, but this emptiness is so deep. I have forgotten how to feel. I know these feelings are good, but I can't tell what they are."

Hikari almost began to cry at hearing that. What a horrible way to live. Stepping forward, she let her left hand rest against his chest and mask fragment before she gently slipped her hand inside of the hole. It didn't feel wet or cold, but it did feel empty.

"Hikari-han!" Benitora gasped.

"Now I am in your heart," Hikari spoke softly. "Can you feel it?"

"Yes. Strongly," Benitora nodded.

* * *

"So, what's the verdict?" asked Warren.

"I think you have more authority over that than me," stated Ryan.

"Yes, but I want to hear your opinion," said Warren.

Ryan sighed. "The last time I met an Arrancar that was good was when I met Tazuka. Let's just say it made me rethink my opinion on Hollows."

"But not enough to accept them, I suppose," Warren added.

"It's hard," admitted Ryan. He placed a hand to his chest. "I feel it sometimes, trying to get free. I may have suppressed it with training myself and dividing my power but that thing is still inside, reminding me of what I am. I am neither Shinigami nor Hollow and yet I am also both."

"I guess Benitora and you can relate on that," said Warren.

"I guess, but still, I just can't get over one thing."

"It's about Kat hypnotizing you?" questioned Warren.

Ryan nodded. "Exactly. I let my guard down for a second and she used me like a puppet. It's like, despite being on our side, she also has her own agenda. Sometimes she's working with us and other times she's working against us."

Warren had to agree with that. He knew that Kat was focused on other things when in class. She was, by nature, a villain and unlike Ryuji never thought of changing who she was or deceiving herself. She would always be bad and would try to stir up some chaos when things got boring for her. Chaos, to her, was the epitome of fun and she felt great pleasure at causing chaos whenever she went. The only reason she fought GIN-SHOCKER was because they'd tried to harm her family. Kat valued her family most of all so that meant she still had some good in her. It wasn't much but it's a start.

"Still," Ryan continued. "I still think we should keep an eye on him. If he's on the run then we should expect some trouble."

"Keep our eyes peeled, right?"

"Right."

* * *

Back at the Katsura residence, things were tense. Kenzaki and Neko had invited themselves inside. Kenzaki was still mulling over Kat. In his opinion she was more trouble than she was worth. Sure, she was a Kamen Rider but that in name only.

Ryuji and Neko were just as upset. While Ryuji had changed, Kat was still the same as before. Neko too wasn't sure what to think of her sister. She thought that Kat might've changed for the better but clearly she hadn't. The first clue was the merciless way she'd dispatch the Imagin and then the Catgirl Incident when she'd temporarily brainwashed everyone and turned them into catgirls. Neko herself had been a victim but was able to shake off the brainwashing bit after several minutes.

The question was; could Kat be trusted? That was a little hard to answer. She had a code of honor but it was warped. It mostly benefited her. Her word was her bond but even so she could twist her words around and find loopholes so she could be as bad as she wanted. Was she good? Sometimes. Was she evil? That was most of the time. Clearly, Kat was ambiguous but what everyone agreed upon was that Kat enjoyed causing trouble and stirring up chaos. She hated feeling bored and would do anything to get rid of the feeling. When she was bored, she was dangerous.

"Ken-kun, were you serious about locking her up?" asked Neko.

"She has a bounty on her head. It's lower than what we usually go after but for her I'll make an exception," answered Kenzaki with a grunt.

"Well, I sure hope she learns her lesson soon," said Ryuji. However, he doubted that. Kat would be peaceful for a certain period of time but that was when she plotted and schemed. After that chaos would erupt with her in the centre.

"I don't think she's going to start something," said Neko.

"You saw the look on her face. She was unremorseful," Kenzaki reminded. "She didn't care if anyone got hurt."

"I can't believe that…" Neko shook her head in denial. She wanted to believe Kat was good but recent events had made her doubt her own sister.

"Well, let's hope she doesn't try anything," said Ryuji. He wasn't going to get involved with Kat on another crazy caper. Last time he did he had to face Kotonoha's wrath and the consequences. He wasn't ready or keen on experiencing that again. Once was too much already.

"In any case, it's best we keep an eye on her," said Kenzaki. "I know Rose can keep her on a leash but that leash is gonna break and then we have to gun her down." Neko wasn't sure if he was being literal or not. "I'm not even going to be surprised if she tries to resurrect the Rinshi."

"The what?" Ryuji questioned.

"Zombie foot soldiers the RinJyuKen Akugata used a while back," clarified Kenzaki.

"Would she really go that far?" Ryuji asked.

"Knowing her, she would," nodded Kenzaki.

"I guess you're right about that," agreed Ryuji. He knew his dark sister would attempt such a thing. GIN-SHOCKER had foot soldiers of its own so she would resurrect these Rinshi to even the playing field.

"Then there's that Arrancar," spoke Neko. She wasn't interested in the conversation which spoke ill of her sister anymore.

"Yeah, what are we going to do with him?" asked Kenzaki. He knew Arrancar could be dangerous if left unattended.

Ryuji surprised both of them, "Let's leave him alone."

Kenzaki stared, "Weren't you the most gung-ho about taking him out?"

"I was, but let's just say I did some thinking and well…he and I aren't so different. I mean, we're monsters trying to act human. In a way, he and I are alike. We want to live our lives and not be reminded that we're not human."

"Wow, that's deep," stated Kenzaki, surprised by such an insight.

"I had help," said Ryuji as he glanced at Kotonoha.

* * *

Several days had passed since then and both Benitora and Hikari had grown close after getting to know each other better. She now knew who he truly was but wasn't afraid. She did, however, want to see his Zanpakuto and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Still, she had to keep this a secret from her friends, even her best friend Nanami. She was still pretty much in the dark of the identities of the Kamen Riders but was aware that Warren had special abilities and that Ryuji, Kenzaki and Neko were more involved than they were willing to share. They had been there and knew what was going on. She didn't know how big a secret it was, though.

Benitora had become part of the circle of friends both Ryuji and Kotonoha were in. though Ryuji was still wary of Benitora, he was going to give him the same chance he'd been given and give him the benefit of the doubt. Race and species didn't determine alignment.

As for Kat, she wasn't entirely welcomed since she tried to manipulate Ryan, who'd gone home since that night. She was tolerated but the other Riders kept their eye on her. They knew it was only a matter of time before she pulled something like this again. Once she got bored, chaos would begin. That was the obvious pattern.

It was Saturday and the girls decided to go hangout in town. While walking the street with the girls, Kotonoha caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye. "Ryuji-kun?" She turned around check and saw that the person had gone. '_Was it my imagination?_' Her thoughts were interrupted by a car horn and she quickly rejoined her friends.

* * *

Miyako tossed the newspaper in front of Ryuji after inviting him to Radish.

"What's this?" asked Ryuji.

"I was hoping you can tell me. You're the expert on weird," Miyako said.

Ryuji picked up the paper. It read "MYSTERIOUS MURDERS. VICTIMS TURNED TO DUST. IS IT AN EPIDEMIC OR SOMETHING WORSE?"

"Do you know something about this?" asked Miyako.

Ryuji continued to read it. People had been dying mysteriously and their bodies had turned to dust. The only thing that remained was clothes and grey ash. This made Ryuji tremble. He knew this scene all too well. "Orphenoch," he murmured.

"Huh?" blinked Miyako.

Ryuji clenched the paper, rumpling it up, before letting it go. He then stood up and stormed out of the restaurant. She blinked in confusion. "What was that about?"

* * *

Ryuji returned home later to find Kotonoha waiting for him. "Ryuji-kun, okaeri-nasai," she welcomed him. He didn't say a word and went up the stairs.

"What's wrong with Ryuji-niichan?" asked Kokoro.

"I don't know," Kotonoha shook her head. She was going to find out, though. She hated it when Ryuji kept secrets from her. She wanted him to trust her more.

* * *

Ryuji lay on his back, in bed, as he stared at his hands. How come people were dying like an Orphenoch had attacked them? Was it possible that he was the one doing it? How come he didn't remember? Was he going out of control? That newspaper headline had brought back horrible memories. He never wanted to think back on those days again and yet when he read the article he could see himself as the murderer…the monster.

"What's going on?" Ryuji asked himself. He heard a knock at the door. "Come in, it's open." The door creaked open and Ryuji turned his head over to see that it was his girlfriend. "Koto-chan?"

"I became worried. You ran up here without a word and you looked upset. Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he gave a strained smile. She didn't look convinced and didn't want to leave him alone if he needed her.

"Ryuji, were you in town today?" asked Kotonoha.

"I was in Radish with Serizawa but that was about it," said Ryuji.

"Oh, so you weren't near the mall then?" she asked.

"No." He sat up. "What is this about?" Was it an interrogation?

"It's nothing. I just thought I saw you." This made Ryuji freeze. She continued, "But maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me."

"I guess it could be," he said to her, though he was feeling guilty about lying to her.

"When it's dinner time I'll come get you. You just relax, okay?" she smiled before exiting the room.

Ryuji looked up at the ceiling.

* * *

Both Kenzaki and Neko had read the paper and were stunned. Could an Imagin have done this? Or…

"Orphenoch," said Neko.

"You mean that thing your brother turns into?" asked Kenzaki. Neko nodded.

"This is the same scene I saw a few years back when an Orphenoch was on a rampage," stated Neko. "It's the same."

"So, you really think an Orphenoch is involved?" he asked.

"If an Orphenoch is doing this, that would mean…" she shut her eyes. "Oh no. I don't want to think that…that Ryuji…"

"You think it's Ryuji?" questioned Kenzaki.

"There aren't people here with the Orphenoch gene aside from him. That's the only conclusion," said Neko, sadly.

"But do you really believe he's capable of doing this?"

"I don't know what to believe but if he is responsible…" She didn't want to believe it. She knew what it would lead and she didn't want it to come to that.

"Let's do some investigating first before jumping to conclusion," advised Kenzaki.

"A good idea. If we attack Ryuji-sama without proof then it would go horribly wrong," Gekiryuken agreed.

"But we have to also be prepared for the worst. He may turn on us and you know what we have to do," continued Kenzaki.

"I know," understood Neko.

Neko just hoped Ryuji hadn't lost control for good. If he had then they would have to…they would have to…

…Kill him.

* * *

Warren had too read the newspaper and was thinking along the same lines as the Hunters. This was definitely an Orphenoch. After being friends with Ryuki, Mortuary and Ryuji for so long he'd learnt about Orphenochs and how they killed. People turning into dust/ash were definitely the MO of an Orphenoch. It could be an Imagin with a similar MO but still...the biggest possibility was that Ryuji had lost himself.

He wasn't going to let that happen to a friend. Not again. He was going to save Ryuji, even if it killed him.

* * *

"Looks like someone's been busy," frowned Kat after reading the paper. It was on the news on TV too. Several restaurants had been closed down by the police because they were crime scenes and were under investigation. All the victims had turn to dust/ash. Kat knew an Orphenoch was responsible and she knew only one Orphenoch lived in this world. "Looks like someone can't control his violent impulses."

"You don't think your brother is responsible, do you?" asked Rose.

"I don't know what to think but who else could it be? Only an Orphenoch could do this," said Kat. "And the only Orphenoch I know is the one whom lent us this place."

"How about an Imagin?" suggested Rose. "One with cremation powers."

"I don't think so. Ryuji-chan's watch would've gone off if it was one of those sand freaks. This has Orphenoch written all over it."

"So, what will you do?"

"Whatever it takes to protect my family," said Kat with pure conviction. Her entire fist was covered in Rinki. "Just like how Slade-sama taught me. Do whatever it takes to achieve your goals."

* * *

Kotonoha wasn't sure what was upsetting Ryuji since he wouldn't talk about it at dinner that night. It depressed her, really. She hated it when he couldn't trust her to talk about his problems.

The next day, early morning, she was taking a morning jog. It was in the training schedule she'd been given. It was meant to increase her stamina. As she jogged by a playground, she saw someone sitting at the swing set. She could also hear wonderful music coming from the person who was playing a harmonica. Curiosity got the best of her so she walked over to see who it was.

To her surprise, he looked just like Ryuji! The only differences she could find were his pale skin and silver hair. He has his eyes closed as he played. He also wore a pitch black coat with matching slacks, gloves and boots. When he sensed her presence, he looked towards her, revealing that his eyes were blood red. Was he an albino? "What?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just heard you playing and when I saw you I was reminded of someone I know."

The man, who couldn't be any older than 18 judging by his youthful appearance, smiled, "I bet this person is very good looking."

"He is," confessed Kotonoha. "I'm Kotonoha Katsura. Nice to meet you."

"Call me Ryuga," the silver-haired man introduced himself. "Why not take a seat?" he offered, gesturing towards the other swing.

She sat down and asked, "What's song is that? It was beautiful."

"Someone I cared for long ago taught it to me," said Ryuga. He gazed down at the harmonica. "She was even the one who picked out this harmonica."

"She?" asked Kotonoha.

"Yes, the one woman I would ever love. She's gone now," Ryuga looked to the ground sadly. "I barely have anything to remember her by and all I have left is her fading image in my mind and this harmonica as well as this son. I play it so I never forget."

"You must've really loved her," said Kotonoha.

"I gave all my heart to her, which she took to the grave," he said. "So, you have someone special?"

"Yes," Kotonoha blushed. She shouldn't be talking about this to a total stranger but she felt comfortable around Ryuga. It was the same feeling she had when with Ryuga. "A boy that I really love."

"The one I remind you of?" Ryuga asked with a gleam in his crimson eyes. "Tell me more…"

* * *

"She's late," Ryuji said checking her watch. "And she's not answering her cell."

"Oh, don't get so worked up, Ryuji," said Loki. "She has protection."

"Athena couldn't do much before," Ryuji reminded. He remembered the incident with the King and Shogun Imagin. Even with Athena's so-called protection, she still was endangered.

"I don't like your tone of voice, male," growled Athena. The door opened up and Kotonoha entered. "And here she is."

"Tadaima!" Kotonoha greeted.

"Okaeri," greeted Loki.

"Where were you? You're two hours late from your jog," said Ryuji. He was just about to go look for her.

"Gomen. I lost track of time," Kotonoha apologized.

Ryuji's expression softened. "Just…don't scare me like that again," said Ryuji. He hugged her. "I was worried."

"I promise," said Kotonoha as she hugged him back. The only reason she'd been late was because of an interesting conversation she'd had with her new friend Ryuga. He just seemed so mature and wise. She just couldn't tear herself away. Of course, he did seem strangely familiar and it wasn't just his near resemblance to Ryuji and Ryuki. Where had she seen him before and why was his name so familiar?

* * *

He had done this several times already. He'd eaten at several restaurants for free and when demanded to pay he killed everyone that was present. Strangely, he let the children live. Maybe he had a soft spot for them or his sadistic tendencies wanted them to suffer more.

He'd hit a takoyaki stand and had killed the guy who'd given him the stuff.

Then, he went for sushi and killed the customers along with the guy making the sushi as well as anyone else who saw him.

Even a local fast food place wasn't let off.

The death toll kept rising every minute.

* * *

In the next few days, these mysterious murders were the talk of the school. Nobody knew who was responsible and the students suspected that it was another monster. A few knew what was responsible thought and suspected him.

There was also some gossip.

"Are you sure?" asked Sekai.

"I did. I was walking by a playground yesterday morning and saw her talking to a guy and it wasn't Ryuji," said Nanami.

"But Kotonoha? She wouldn't cheat on Ryuji," said Sekai.

"Hey, all I saw was that she was being friendly with some guy," shrugged Nanami. "It could mean anything."

* * *

"Ryuga. Ryuga Hasuma. I'm pleased to meet you," the new kid introduced himself.

Class 3-4 had just received a new student. He wore the standard boy's uniform neatly and as soon as the girls saw him, they had hearts in their eyes while the boys glared at him scornfully. He had long and silver hair that hung down his back in a braid but the most incredibly feature he had were his crimson eyes.

"Hey, are you related to Ryuji Hasuma?" one star struck girl asked.

"Oh, you might say we're practically brothers," Ryuga smiled. Of course, that smile hid his malicious intent. These students didn't know how lucky they were that Ryuga was in a good mood. Once he got angry he would kill them all without any hesitation or remorse.

* * *

Kotonoha wasn't sure what was going on but she sure didn't like it. She was being interrogated by Hikari, Nanami and Sekai and the subject was her secret meetings with a boy. She gasped at the accusation. "I would never see another boy behind my Ryuji-kun's back!"

"Hikari saw you talking to some guy with long silver hair," Sekai pointed out. "So, out with it. Who is he and what are you doing with him?"

Kotonoha gripped her fists. How dare they try and pry into her private life? She locked her angry eyes on Sekai.

"I don't need to tell you anything," said Kotonoha, suddenly turning cold. "And don't remind me of cheating, Sekai-san." Sekai was taken aback. "After all, you stole Makoto-kun from me." Sekai was stunned by the accusation, which was true, but Kotonoha had forgiven her. "Don't ever accuse me of cheating on Ryuji-kun. Goodbye" She then went and left. She'd never felt so insulted in her life. Nanami and Hikari stared at their quiet friend who just watched as Kotonoha left.

"Woah," Hikari blinked. She'd never seen Kotonoha so mad before. It was scary.

"I was half expecting her to draw her dozuki on you," stated Nanami, having heard the rumors.

Sekai's hand absently went to her neck and she gulped. The feeling of cold serrated steel against her jugular was not one she was looking forward to.

* * *

"OK, how many does that make?" asked Kenzaki as the mystery murders once again ended up on the front page of the newspaper. The death toll had escalated. He was with Neko in an empty classroom.

"A whole lot of dead people because of an Orphenoch," said Neko. "But, it does say that only the children survived." That was what the newspaper said, "Unfortunately, those kids are in shock."

"Can you blame them? They saw people dying right before their eyes," said Kenzaki, "Killed by an Orphenoch, no less."

"Still, to say that Ryuji-chan did this is just…he would never…" Neko tried to deny.

"He has lost control of his Orphenoch side," Kenzaki reminded. "Maybe it just manifests when he least expects it. Maybe he doesn't know it's even happening."

"What should we do?" asked Neko worriedly. She knew the answer.

"If we have to, we may have to kill your brother," said Kenzaki.

"I don't think there's a need for that," said Warren as he came in with Vash, Kat and Rachel.

"How so?" asked Kenzaki with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well, I was able to acquire this bit of video," said Kat as she showed them her digital camera. "You might be interested. It's from a surveillance camera that survived." She put it down on the desk and turned up the screen so everyone could see. "Now, take a look."

What the screen showed was gruesome and completely horrendous as people fell to the floor, their bodies disintegrating to dust. It started with the staff of the restaurant, followed by the customers. The one responsible just sat in his chair, eating out of a bowl of ramen. He looked normal enough...if you count the spike tipped tentacles that were coming out of his back, normal. They had struck the customers in the hearts before withdrawing.

"That's the Orphenoch," Neko realized.

"But why does he look so familiar?" asked Warren, blinking.

"Oh, he has to look familiar," said Kat. "It's…"

* * *

Ryuga's Ki senses were pointing him to a source of familiar and malevolent Ki. It was when he hoped to never sense. It was one he didn't want to remember. It reminded him of a dark future.

"Greetings," Ryuji heard and he froze.

'_That voice_…' Ryuji shivered.

As soon as Ryuji saw that hated face in the hallways, he went off like a rocket. He was so enraged when he saw him once more, the face of the true monster.

"What the hell are you doing here!" demanded Ryuji as he reached into his pocket for his pass. His silver haired and red eyed double was standing just five feet away from him.

Ryuga, however, answered in English, "_Are you sure you really want to do what here with all these students present?_" Ryuji gritted his teeth. Both he and Ryuga were standing in the middle of the hallway. "_One wrong move and they'll all be dead_," warned Ryuga. Ryuji knew he wasn't bluffing. Ryuga was capable of ruthless murder without hesitating for a second.

Ryuji forced himself to relax and spoke in English, "_What are you doing in this school, Ryuga?_"

"_Oh, I was bored_," Ryuga said with a smirk, "_And seeing as you went to school here I just thought I should enroll here. Getting the paperwork done was easy and the young man who owned this uniform didn't argue when he gave it to me_." Ryuji knew the underlying meaning. Ryuga had killed the original owner of the uniform.

"_We'll stop you_," swore Ryuji. "_One way or another we'll stop you_."

"_Just like you tried to stop me before?_" taunted Ryuga. "_Even with all your powers combined you cannot hope to beat me, the Orphenoch King_."

"_Ryuki did it before_," remarked Ryuji. Ryuga's red eyes narrowed. "_So it can be done_."

Ryuga's lips curled into a cruel smirk, "_By the way, you got great taste in women. As much as I adored Jinx she was lacking in the breasts department_." Ryuji knew who Ryuga was talking about and the temperature fell.

"_You stay away from her_…"

"_Or what? You'll beat me up?_" scoffed Ryuga. He boasted, "_You'll hardly make a mark on me, even with those trains._" He then walked past Ryuji and gave him a message, "_Try and get strong really quick to beat me. I don't know how long I can keep myself from killing again. Maybe I'll start with this place._" Ryuga laughed as he walked off. Ryuji gripped his fists tightly, hating how Ryuga made him feel helpless and powerless.

* * *

"The Orphenoch King!"

That was the general reaction from everyone else once Kat identified the person on the tape.

"The same bastard who came from the future? The one Ryuki told us about? Hell, yeah!" Kat confirmed. Ryuki had told her the story and well she herself had remembered that alternate timeline as well even after Libra had it taken care of. "Red eyes, silver hair, with tentacles flying out of his back that turn people into dust? No doubt about it."

"But Ryu-chan also said that he killed the Future Orphenoch King," said Neko in shock and confusion. "How can he be here?"

"That's what we're going to find out," said Kenzaki.

"Be careful. Ryuki once told me how powerful this guy could be. Don't engage him alone," Warren warned. He knew that if need be he could fight him, but he had resigned himself to being an observer for the other Riders. This was because he'd need to keep a tight rein on his powers. If his powers were to flare out of control, he could wipe out this entire universe. As such, he now had several seals placed on his powers, ranging from Level 10 to Level 0.

The door was thrown open as Ryuji marched into the classroom. He saw everyone assembled and said, "Guys, we got a problem."

"Oh, before you say anything, we wish to apologize for suspecting you of killing people," said Neko bluntly.

"You suspected me?" Ryuji blinked before remembering what he'd come to tell them, "Ryuga's here, in the school."

That got an immediate reaction.

"NANI!" Kat and Neko shouted in shock.

"Yes, I reacted like that too," Ryuji said plainly.

* * *

Kotonoha was going to meet with Ryuji when she bumped into a familiar face. "Ryuga-san!" she smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Just transferred as a new student," Ryuga stated.

"Well, that's good. Sorry, but I got to run."

"Hey, Kotonoha-san," the silver-haired boy smiled. "Mind if we talked for a bit?"

"Oh, I would, but I'm going to meet my boyfriend," said Kotonoha.

"It won't be long. Just give me 5 minutes," requested Ryuga. "What's the harm?"

"Oh, alright," Kotonoha accepted. "Just 5 minutes."

"Excellent," Ryuga smiled.

* * *

In class, Ryuji noticed that Kotonoha wasn't present. It wasn't like her to miss class like this. He tried calling her but she wasn't answering his calls. Something was wrong. Maybe he should go look for her. Still, seeing Ryuga in the school was worrisome. He hadn't been able to tell Kotonoha about this guy and he was worried if she would get hurt. Ryuga was probably responsible for all those murders. It was his style. He just hoped Kotonoha didn't get too involved than she should.

She came into class late, much to Ryuji's relief, but she was acting a little weird. Oh, she didn't seem like it but he knew something was off with her aura. "Koto-chan, where were you?" he whispered. "You're late."

"I lost track of time," she said to him. "Gomen."

"Well, please leave your phone on. I tried calling and you didn't pick up."

"Gomen."

"It's alright."

* * *

Kotonoha had some business to take care of after school so she sent Ryuji home without any other reason. She said she would be home a little later than expected and didn't want him to wait. He insisted on waiting, however, but she told him to go home and wait for her.

"I have Athena with me," Kotonoha said. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," he said. Despite the Amazon Imagin's presence, he still had reason to feel concerned.

"I'm sure," she smiled reassuringly. "Now, get going."

"OK," Ryuji nodded before leaning in for a kiss. She stopped him with two fingers. "Huh?" he blinked.

"At home, later," she told him.

"OK, and be careful," he advised. "Call me if you need me."

"I promise." Kotonoha watched as he disappeared out the gate before she felt his presence again minutes later. She turned around and smiled at Ryuga. "Ryuga-san."

"Shall we be going, my sweet?" he said, taking her hand.

"Alright," she nodded, her eyes seemed mesmerized.

They then vanished without leaving a trace.

* * *

Later, back on the GaroLiner, Kenzaki was looking through some bounties using his computer when he came across one with a familiar face. "Neko, take a look." Both were in the dining car and sitting next to each other. Neko looked over and gasped. On the screen was a picture of Ryuga.

"It's him," realized Neko.

**Wanted**

**Name: Ryuga**

**Bounty Class: C**

**Reward: 10,000 Credits**

**Info: Unregistered Dimensional Jumper, responsible for mass-murders and serial-killings in several dimensions. He is able to turn people into dust/ash. Approach with caution.**

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" asked Kenzaki.

"This is our next job," said Neko. Though the GaroLiner Hunters had a policy against going after 'small fish' (Class-C or lower), they could make an exception this time. Her cell phone rang and she picked it up, holding it to her ear, "Moshi moshi."

"_Neko-nee, I need help_," said Ryuji on the other end. He sounded alarmed. "_Follow_ _these coordinates._"

"Who was it? What is it?" asked Kenzaki as Neko pocketed her phone.

"It was Ryuji and he's in trouble," said Neko seriously.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

Ryuji now knew what an idiot he was. He shouldn't have left Kotonoha alone like that. Ryuga was in the school. How could he have been so stupid to allow his judgment to wane because of Kotonoha's charm? He was riding the Dyno-Breaker and using his phone to track hers.

He should've been there to protect her but he stupidly allowed her to talk him out of it. The power she had over him was amazing. She could make him kneel down with just one word. Maybe that was why he liked her. She could keep him in line.

He could hear a couple of bikes behind him and looked into his rearview mirrors to see Kenzaki and Kat's bikes following close behind. Ryuji knew that Neko would call for Kat's help. They were sisters after all and any help would be appreciated against Ryuga.

Ryuji always had nightmares that one day he'd end up like Ryuga. They'd been the reasons why he hated to use his Orphenoch form and tried not to use it anymore. The form reminded him of all the evil Ryuga had committed and with Ryuga here the fear grew even further.

Kat wasn't sure what was happening but it had to be serious. It involved Ryuga after all. When she passed by the guy she felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine. She also felt sick and nearly vomited. As malevolent as her Rinki was, Ryuga's was poison. Right now, she would follow along to see where it would lead. Better than boring old homework anyway.

* * *

The cemetery was surrounded by a thick fog. It was like soup and nobody could see what was ahead of them until it was too late. Within the fog, however, were two figures, standing in the middle of the cemetery.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ryuga asked as he held Kotonoha in his arms. "And also somber. Humans have such short and fragile lives. It's amazing how so many humans who seek power always end up like the people they trample over. It doesn't matter if you have power. When you're human, it just doesn't matter. Life is short after all," He then turned his attention elsewhere, "And speaking of short lives…"

"Let Koto-chan go!" demanded Ryuji as he and the other Riders surrounded the Orphenoch King from the future.

"I don't think so," said Ryuga as he continued to hold the girl against his chest, his hands on her hips. Kotonoha's eyes looked empty and lifeless. It was like the lights were on but nobody was home. "You see, it gets a little lonely when you're jumping dimensions all the time so I was thinking of bringing along some company. This girl, it seems, is quite charming. We had the most interesting conversations."

Ryuji strapped on his belt as did the others while Neko turned Gekiryuken into his Keyblade form.

"Hm, a Keyblade," Ryuga admired Neko's choice of weaponry. "How interesting…" He noticed the belt around Ryuji's belt. "Hm..."

"You're going to let go of Koto-chan now or else I'm-" Ryuji began to warn.

"Kick my ass from here to next year while slicing me up six ways to Sunday," finished Ryuga mockingly. "Honestly, those threats can get old. You must be the darker half that belonged to my past self."

Ryuji hated to be connected to this monster. This was why he hated being an Orphenoch. He was afraid he was going to end up like Ryuga.

"Are we just gonna stand around chit-chatting or fight?" questioned Kat impatiently.

"Hold your horses," Kenzaki advised. He didn't like Kat, and trusted her even less, but he knew that in a fight she would watch his back.

"Don't order me around," Kat hissed.

"You two, not now," pleaded Neko.

"Ah, a ragtag group of misfits," snorted Ryuga, "Brought together against one common enemy. Just like the Titans. Oh, how I missed them." He wiped away an imaginary tear.

"Why should you? You killed the Titans in your timeline," said Ryuji.

"Yes," Ryuga sighed. "So I did." He shrugged. "Oh well." He let go of Kotonoha and reached into his jacket to pull out something none of them expected…A Rider Belt. It resembled Ryuji's but completely charcoal black with red fangs within the jaw-like buckle. The area between the 'jaws' was pitch black like the rest of the belt.

"How did you get that!" Ryuji demanded.

"Don't be surprised. I once piloted the ChronoLiner too." Ryuga strapped on the belt and fastened it to his waist before taking out a black train pass. Ryuji recognized it since it bore a cross within a circle on it.

"That's mine!" Ryuji identified.

"It was yours. Your girlfriend was kind enough to provide it for me," smirked Ryuga. "And now I'll be able to use this belt. I guess a field test is in order. Henshin." He passed it over the belt before tossing it away.

"**KING FORM!**"

The armor formed. The base armor, known as Plat Form, was the first to appear. It was a blood red bodysuit under white torso armor with silver gauntlets and boots. Then, the additional armor formed and snapped on. The chest armor was silver and decorated with a black cross that had a red gem in the centre. Running along the outside of his arms to stop at the elbows was armor plating. Starting from his belt was armor plating that covered the outside of his legs down to his knees. The visor that snapped onto his faceplate was silver with red slanted eyepieces on it.

"This has increased my strength," Ryuga said once in his armor. A dark aura formed in his right hand before it stretched and expanded into a shockingly familiar shape. It looked like a large key with a blood red guard and black shaft. Hanging from the Keyblade was a black inverted cross.

"You've got A Keyblade too!" Ryuji shouted incredulously.

"A magnificent and mysterious weapon is it not?" questioned Ryuga as he displayed it them, "It's called the Empty Soul and this gives me even more power than ever," boasted Ryuga. "Now, please just be good and die."

"Henshin!" Kat, Ryuji and Kenzaki called out simultaneously.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

"**PREDATOR FORM!**"

"Gekiryu Henshin!" Neko called out as she thrust Gekiryuken forward.

Energy shards encased Kenzaki, Kat and Ryuji, transforming them into their Rider forms, turning them into Kamen Rider Garoh Predator Form, Kamen Rider CopyKat and Kamen Rider Ifrit Sabre Form. As for Neko, a blue bodysuit with white boots and gauntlets formed on her body as a blue aura dragon flew around her before shooting into the air. It then came down to crash into her body, exploding into energy shards which bonded onto her body to form her armor. Finally, the helmet formed over her head and the blue visor slid down to cover her face. She had become Kamen Rider Ryukendo.

"Now this is going to be interesting," snickered Ryuga before he darted forward at his four opponents. He swung wide with his Keyblade, sending a blade of black magic at them. They leapt away to dodge and several headstones were destroyed by the blade.

"We have to end this quickly," instructed Gekiryuken.

"Right," agreed Ryukendo. She shot forward like a bullet with Gekiryuken gripped tightly. Once she was in range she swung her Keyblade at Ryuga's neck. He blocked with his own Keyblade and soon both fighters were using a flurry of moves, their Keyblades clashing and sending sparks flying from each connected hit made by the two mystical weapons.

Both Keyblades continued to clash, sending sparks flying. Soon, it ended up in a deadlock.

"Give her back!" Ryukendo demanded.

"Never!" Ryuga roared back.

With a grunt, Ryukendo pushed but then Ryuga twisted his Keyblade to the side, causing Ryukendo to stumble before using a heel kick that slammed into her chin. Ryuga then grabbed her leg and smashed her down to the ground before pointing the tip of his Keyblade at her. "Goodbye, again," Ryuga spoke,

"**Neko!**" Garoh shouted as he rushed at Ryuga, gripping his axe tightly. He swung at his neck but he vanished before the attack could connect. "**Huh?**" Garoh blinked.

"Behind you!" Ryukendo warned.

Garoh spun around and sparks were ripped off his armor as the Empty Soul Keyblade slashed him across the chest.

Both Ifrit and CopyKat lunged for Ryuga, armed with swords and claws respectively. Ifrit went for a swing at his midsection as CopyKat attacked from above.

"Predictable," scoffed Ryuga as he snapped his fingers, freezing them in midair. "And pitiful." He opened his palm and sent both Ifrit and CopyKat flying, smashing them against a pair of headstones. He turned his attention back to Ryukendo and Garoh who were now attacking him together, using their GekiJyuKen martial arts style. Garoh was striking fast, targeting Ryuga's vital points with elbow and knee strikes as Ryukendo's attacks were also swift, her fingers curled into claws like she was trying to scratch him. Their movements mimicked beasts which Ryuga recognized. "GekiJyuKen? Just like Craig."

"**Don't mock GekiJyuKen!**" snapped Garoh in his and Byakko's voices.

"It's the fist of justice and it's going to take you down!" Ryukendo added. She generated her red Fierce Ki into the form of a gorilla. "Gekiwaza!"

Violet Ki engulfed Garoh and he struck forward. "**Gekiwaza!**"

"King Kong Ken!" Ryukendo hurled a fist encased in red Ki in the shape of a gorilla's fist.

"**Gon Gon Ken!**" Garoh hurled a fist at Ryuga.

The fists connected with air when Ryuga leapt high into the sky. He landed on one of the tombstones. He crossed his arms and looked over the group of people who were against him. He seemingly amused at what was happening.

"GekiJyuKen, RinJyuKen, and GenJyuKen. Powerful styles. How about Lost Beast-Fist?" questioned Ryuga.

"Lost…" Ryukendo began.

"**Beast-Fist?**" Garoh finished.

"A little something I picked up in one of the worlds I've been to," Ryuga laughed. "Man, what a bunch of fun guys. I miss them. But they did give me the copies of their teachings since they liked me."

"**There's no such thing!" **Garoh roared.

"Watch me! Tyrano-Ken!" Ryuga bellowed. "Shingi!"

The others who knew JyuKen also called forth their attacks.

"**Gekiwaza!**" announced Garoh. "**RO RO DAN!**"

"Gekiwaza!" called out Ryukendo. "SHISHI DAN!" Ryukendo's new Gekiwaza called forth a lion made of her white aura. It let loose a roar.

"Gengi!" growled Ifrit. "JIGOKUHA!"

"Ringi!" summoned CopyKat. "SHISHI HOKOHA!"

The quartet of JyuKen users sent their aura beasts flying at the Orphenoch King. Ryuga stood no chance, or so they thought.

Ryuga shouted, "KING'S ROAR!"

The aura around Ryuga formed into the shape of a tyrannosaurus' head before it let out a powerful roar. The shock wave released shattered the other aura beasts and sent the four Riders flying. The technique shattered several more tombstones which were in the path of his attack. Strangely, Kotonoha remained unharmed.

"The Lost Beast-Fist is a martial arts style based on extinct animals. It's the most powerful form of Beast-Fist around. Of course, you felt it for yourself," Ryuga boasted. "Now, leave and let me be."

With a snort, he turned to get Kotonoha went he felt massive killing intent targeted in his direction. He spun around in time to use his Keyblade to guard himself from Ifrit's twin Dao swords which had come down on him.

"I'm not letting you take my Koto-chan away!" shouted Ifrit as he tried to push back the Keyblade with his own Ifrit Dao. "She's mine!"

"I guess that's what we have in common. Our devotion to the women we love. Unfortunately for me, the one I loved died a long time ago, bringing my heart along with her," said Ryuga in an almost sad and regrettable tone.

"Then I will send you to her…Ryuga," said a voice. Ryuga lifted up his leg and kicked Ifrit back. He then turned and saw Warren approaching him. He had his gun drawn which was steady and set to fire.

"Ah, an old friend," Ryuga smirked under his helmet. "You haven't changed since the last time I saw you." Ryuga, having once been Ryuki, had all his memories and remembered Warren from his past. They'd been close but sadly Ryuga didn't feel anything for Warren.

"What would Jinx think of you now?" asked Warren sadly. He just couldn't believe that this...person before him had once been Ryuki. The Ryuki he knew was kind, courageous, selfless, and possessed a heart of justice. What he was seeing was just a shadow of his friend.

"Why not ask her?" growled Ryuga. He hated it when anyone said her name. It reminded him of what he'd lost and caused his descent into darkness, madness and evil. Worse of all it was Warren who should've understood.

"Because I have no intention of dying," Warren retorted calmly. He had so much to live for. His kids, for one, and his wife Raven. His friends and family were what he lived for. They were what kept him going.

"You know, I should really show you respect for what you meant to me in the past…but that's not how I work. I am going to make you feel the same pain I went through when I lost Jinx. I'm going to take away everything and everyone you hold dear. That way…you'll understand me better." Though Ryuga tried not to show it, he did have a great deal of respect for Warren…his former friend.

"You're a fool," said Warren. "Do you have any idea how many times I've lost everything? Did you actually think I'd let something like that happen again?" Warren's childhood and past hadn't been a good one. It was a miracle he hadn't gone mad up until now.

"Did you think I let Jinx die?" Ryuga snarled. He hated it when people would assume he allowed his beloved to die. "Do you think I allowed her to take my heart with her?" He'd loved Jinx dearly and given him his heart, which she took to the grave. "We've all suffered. It's better to share the pain." That was Ryuga's philosophy. Why should he be the only one to suffer alone? That was why he killed mercilessly. He wanted to make others suffer as he had. Warren wasn't going to let that happen.

"I know you'd never let harm come to Jinx," responded Warren. He knew that there had to be a small spark of the former Ryuki in Ryuga. Ryuga still loved Jinx after all this time. "And your love for her was so deep that you couldn't go on after she died. But you aren't the only one who lost true love to a cruel twist of fate, or do I need to remind you about Meryl?"

"The daughter you lost?" Ryuga had learnt about Warren past a long time ago. "True, I don't know the pain of losing a child, but losing the woman I love was just as bad. Sure, I went mad but it was how I coped with my pain. I went to Occultus, I became the King, so I could get rid of the pain. But it stayed with me, it festered, and everything else meant nothing. Power is filling up the void but it's not enough. I felt lonely without Jinx." In the process he'd betrayed his friends and his ideals.

Warren shouted, "But you were never alone! All you did was take the coward's way out. You couldn't cope so you ran! Just like with Tazuka! No more running, RYUKI! You have nowhere else to run." Ryuga was just like his past self. When he couldn't cope with pain he tried to escape it. At least the current timeline's Ryuki wouldn't share the same fate as this one.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" roared Ryuga. That name just reminded him of his weaker past self. He'd changed his name to separate himself from that past. The weak Ryuki had died the day Jinx had perished in that explosion.

"Why not, RYUKI!" shouted Warren. "Does it remind you of what you lost? Of what you gave up?" He knew he was just provoking Ryuga, which was the plan.

Ryuga roared, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I'M NOT THAT WEAK LITTLE KID ANYMORE! I AM THE KING!" He was in denial over his identity and past.

"No you're not! You're just a scared little boy who couldn't take it anymore!" Warren corrected. He was finally getting through to this evil Rider.

"DIE!" roared Ryuga as he charged at Warren. His anger had reached its limit. He wanted to take Warren's head and eat it off a platter.

"Releasing control art restriction level to Level 3. Situation A. The Cromwell Approval is now in effect. Hold release until target is silenced," said Warren. "Now it's time to teach you…how a Keyblade should be used." In a flash of light, the item in question appeared in Warren's hand, much to everyone's shock.

"Are they giving away those things or what?" muttered Ryuji.

The Keyblade Warren wielded took its theme from demons. The keychain was fashioned after a Hollow Mask, which was attached to the hilt by a chain. It had a facsimile of a Hollow Mask which resembled a white Oni's face adorning the hilt with the guard being black wings coming from the sides of the mask's 'collar'. The teeth of the Keyblade were fashioned after a bat hanging from the blade.

"So, you too, huh?" questioned Ryuga. "What do you call it?"

"The Inner Demon," answered Warren. "And now, prepare yourself."

"Gladly," replied Ryuga with eyes narrowed.

Both former friends then charged straight for each other and their Keyblades clashed, sending sparks flying from the impact of the mystical weapons.

The Keyblade…a great weapon that could bring salvation or destruction…and it could go either way right here.

* * *

Setsuna drummed her fingers on her desk at home. Something very wrong was happening and she felt like she was on the edge of it. People were being killed and turned into dust piles. It was a very horrible way to die in her honest opinion. Still, that young man named Ryuga made her feel very scared. Something about him just didn't feel right. She knew he was…off, in the same sense as Ryuji, but Ryuga just made her feel like she was near a dangerous and untamed animal that would attack without warning.

With Ryuji, she just felt like she was near a guard dog that wouldn't attack unless told to. Ryuga, however, felt like an animal that would attack anything that moved and kill it as ruthlessly as possible to make it suffer.

That was frightening.

She knew Ryuji felt the same. He had been acting on edge all day. Not the kind of edge that could be connected to one of the people that would upset him. It was the kind of edge she had seen him on when a monster was hanging around…times one hundred. Ryuga scared Ryuji…and that scared her.

What kind of a monster would one have to be to scare a guy like Ryuji, who fought monsters on a regular basis?

Setsuna herself wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question at all.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like Keyblade users are popping up everywhere. This is gonna be a fight between old friends. In fact, Warren is keeping his promise to Ryuki.

Shadow Element 13: Warren's Keyblade is based on the Pumpkinhead Keyblade from the first Kingdom Hearts, with some changes. Let's just say the Hollow Masks will be important later on.

Ten-Faced Paladin: The Lost Beast-Fist is a JyuKen based on extinct animals, rather than real or legendary ones. In Ryuga's case, his is based off dinosaurs. Others might be showing up sooner or later.


	21. Unwanted Engagements

Ryuji's armor had vanished as soon as he hit the ground. Groaning in pain, he sat up with the help of his hands to see Ryuga and Warren exchanging words instead of blows. He could hear what they were saying but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting Kotonoha to safety.

He saw her, standing in the middle of the ruined cemetery like a statue, and just staring up at Ryuga. He narrowed his eyes and focused them upon Ryuga. He wanted to make the bastard pay for trying to take HIS Kotonoha away. This anger caused something to happen and in a flash of light he was actually holding a Keyblade in his hand just as Warren revealed his own Keyblade.

"TEME!!!" roared Ryuji as he aimed his newly acquired Keyblade at Ryuga and fired a beam of ice magic at the armored Orphenoch King. Ryuga, having heard the announcement, spun around and blocked with his Empty Soul. The ice had frozen the weapon but then it shattered off. The Keyblade in Ryuji's hand then vanished without a trace thus confusing him.

Ryuga growled in anger and turned his sights on Kotonoha. He roared out, "TASTE MY PAIN!" and fired a blast of destructive power from his Keyblade. It was in the form of a blue fireball that would incinerate her on contact.

"NO!" Ryuji shouted as he dashed towards her with his impressive speed. He grabbed her and pulled her against his body before turning away to shield her. The fireball was headed for them, much to everyone's horror.

However, the fireball dispersed instantly once it ran into an invisible barrier.

"A Guard spell?" Ryuga stared and then turned his eyes towards Warren who smirked.

"Not me," Warren denied.

"Then who?" asked Ryuga. Footsteps could be heard and all eyes turned towards the sound of someone approaching.

"Me," the mysterious figure answered as he came into the light. It was Draco in full armor and holding his Masked Rider Sword Keyblade. "Miss me, Ryuga?"

"You," Ryuga growled. "You killed me!"

"And I'm here to do it again," swore Draco. "Warren-san, let's go!" He rushed towards Ryuga and swung his Keyblade at him. The sound of Keyblades clashing echoed through the cemetery.

* * *

"**UNWANTED** **ENGAGEMENTS**"

* * *

During the fight, Ryuji was holding Kotonoha protectively as she slowly came to her senses. "Nani? Ryuji-kun?" She blinked in confusion when she saw where they were. "Where are we?"

"Long story but right now we should take cover," he said.

Kotonoha pointed to the fight, "Who's that?" She didn't recognize Ryuga.

"Like I said; long story," Ryuji repeated. "Now, come on and take cover with me and the others."

Ryuga was swinging wildly at Warren and Draco, though the two warriors were quickly proving to be too much for the Orphenoch King. He thrust out his Keyblade at Warren, only to hear a swishing sound rather than the rending sound he had expected. He was shocked to discover that now his armor and belt were gone.

"Looking for this?" asked Warren as he appeared behind Ryuji, belt in hand. "Shunpo, one of my favorite abilities."

"Kiisama!" Ryuga cursed. "Fine, I don't need that armor!" His Orphenoch markings appeared on his face as blue and black flames encased his body before dispersing, revealing his true form. His Orphenoch King form.

His organic armor resembled classic samurai armor made of midnight-black carbon steel with bone veins running through it and two gruesome fangs embossed onto the center of the armor. The shoulder plates of the armor each had a huge spike curving out of the top of it, long enough to impale a body on if the wearer of the armor wished it. His legs were clad in greaves that were a reverse of his chest armor, bone with veins of carbon steel running through them. It was his actual physical appearance, though, that had undergone the most drastic of changes. His feet were now lion's paws with hooked, black claws as long as a grown man's fingers. His hands had changed to become lion's paws, with claws of a similarly frightening magnitude. His face, though, was truly terrifying. It was a humanoid face, but with the features of a lion as well; he had a mane that flowed down past his shoulders and pure blood-red orbs for eyes without any discernible irises or pupils. His canines were longer than a normal human's or vampire's, suitable for rending the flesh off of unfortunate prey in huge chunks. To complete the image of fearsome war machine, two ram horns grew from Ryuga's forehead, curving slightly at the top and pointy enough to gorge someone on.

"Still as ugly as ever," muttered Draco.

"Ah, don't say that, Ryuki," said Warren with a smirk. "You'll hurt his feelings."

"Doubtful," snorted Draco. "He doesn't have any."

"Die!" roared Ryuga as he charged at the two Riders. He threw his fist at them, only for it to slam into the ground. He howled in pain as the Inner Demon Keyblade cut into his side, before tearing out a chunk of it. Black flames immediately healed the wound. "Where are you?!" he growled. His targets had vanished. Again he howled as the two Keyblades impaled his shoulders from behind and held him in place. "FUCK!"

"OK, guys!" shouted Warren. "You're up! Finish him off!"

"Do it now!" Draco shouted to the JyuKen artists. "Hurry!"

The JyuKen users all exchanged looks and nodded, knowing what to do. It was their only shot.

"OK, let's do it!" Ryuji shouted. "Set up!"

Neko and Kenzaki stood next to each other as Kat stood behind them, placing her right hand on Neko's left shoulder and her left hand on Kenzaki's right shoulder. The Wolf-Ken user bristled but he ignored the feeling. Ryuji took his place behind Kat and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Geki Infusion!" Kenzaki and Neko called out, their bodies glowing with their Fierce Ki.

"Rinki Infusion!" Kat called out as her body glowed with her Confrontation Ki.

"Genki Infusion!" Ryuji called out as his body glowed with his Mythical Ki.

Their Ki flowed from their bodies and into each other. Ryuji's Mythical Ki flowed into Kat, mixing with her Confrontation Ki before going into both Kenzaki and Neko to mix with their Fierce Ki. Both Kenzaki and Neko held hands as they concentrated the mixture of Ki in their bodies. A ball of Geki, Rinki and Genki formed in front of the couple.

Warren and Draco were currently restraining Ryuga and holding him so he wouldn't be able to dodge or counter the attack prepared and meant to finish him off.

"Alright!" Ryuji shouted. "Shoot it now!"

"You heard the man!" Kat added. "Fire!"

"OK!" Neko agreed. "Ken-kun!"

"Let's do it!" Kenzaki shouted. "Gekiwaza!"

"Ringi!" Kat called out.

"Gengi!" called out Ryuji.

All four JyuKen artists called out the name of their attack, "GEKI-RIN-GEN JYU HOU!"

(Translation: Fierce Confrontation Mythical Beast Cannon)

The ball of mixed of Ki was fired like a cannonball and roared through the air, headed for Ryuga.

"WHAT!?" Ryuga shouted.

"Looks like this is the end for you!" Warren smirked.

"Sayonara!" Draco gave one final salute.

Both Riders then sent Ryuga flying at the ball with kicks in the back. Ryuga wasn't able to dodge and the Ki-ball collided violently with his body.

**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!**

The explosion caused by the collision was massive and nearly shook the ground.

The JyuKen users all fell to their knees, panting. That attack had been intense but they managed to pull it off.

When the smoke cloud cleared, they were surprised to see Ryuga, still standing, but severely injured. He was in human form and missing his right arm and shirt. "Curse you!" he growled.

"Damn it, he's still alive!" Ryuji growled.

"Not for long," said Warren. "Ryuki?"

"On it!" Draco nodded. The energy tracks formed under his feet and he rushed along them towards Ryuga. "FULL THROTTLE BREAK-DENSHA GIRI!"

Ryuga saw the attack coming but grinned. He then felt his Jump coming and said, "Sorry, but it looks like it's time for me to leave!"

"HAH!" Draco swung his Keyblade but hit nothing but air when Ryuga jumped. "Huh?"

"He Jumped dimensions," Kenzaki explained. "And it looks involuntary."

"Involuntary Jumping?" Kat asked.

"Jumpers can jump between dimensions without the use of machines. Involuntary ones Jump at random and are harder to track since even they don't know where they'll end up," Neko explained.

"So, he's alive and can be anywhere?" Ryuji didn't look too happy. "He's murdered all those people and now he's escaped!"

"He's out of our hair now," said Kat, relieved. "That's all that matters."

"But what if he comes back?" asked Neko.

"Then he should think twice," said Warren. "You guys did good with that attack of yours. Well done."

* * *

In the DynoLiner, both Kotonoha and Ryuji sat together in silence. Ryuji was content with looking out the window in deep thought as Kotonoha stared down at her hands which were on her lap. It was moments later when one of them decided to speak.

"Koto-chan, why didn't you tell me about him?" asked Ryuji.

"I don't know," Kotonoha shook his head. "At first we just ran into each other and we talked. Usually it was early in the morning during my jog or after school. He would always be waiting for me and I just couldn't resist talking to him."

"But why?" asked Ryuji, curious and confused. How could she talk to Ryuga like it was nothing? He was dangerous.

"Because…" Kotonoha hesitated, "Because he reminded me of you." She heard a sharp intake of breath and closed her eyes, regretting ever uttering those words, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ryuji answered. She looked towards him to see a neutral expression. He wasn't angry but he wasn't happy either. "I'm not angry with you. I'm just upset over this whole thing. Seeing him again just keeps reminding me of what was and what might've been."

"Ryuji-kun, what do you mean?" asked Kotonoha.

"You've seen into my mind, Koto-chan. You understand who I was and who I could turn into. Ryuga represents a possible future. It's a possibility that I might turn evil," Ryuji clenched his fists.

"You're nothing like him!" Kotonoha denied.

"But you said he reminded you of me, so there has to be a resemblance," he remarked. Now Kotonoha was really regretting telling him how Ryuga reminded her of him. "I'm part of Ryuki but I'm made up of all the bad. Who's to say that I won't turn into Ryuga or something worse? I'm the closest thing to what he is. I'm an Orphenoch and…"

Kotonoha had silenced him with her lips. Pulling back, she spoke, "Ryuji-kun, I know you and so I know that there is no way you'll turn into Ryuga. You have me."

"True," said Ryuji in realization, "I have you and he doesn't. That was why he wanted to take you away. If he did then I would turn into him." He placed a hand to his chest. "He wanted to take away my heart just like how he'd lost his." Kotonoha knew the story. Ryuga, in his past, had lost the one he loved and lost his heart and mind, turning into that monster. "If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn't know what to do. I'd be so lost and then I…" He didn't want to become a monster or a killer but deep down he knew that he was all that and more. He had the power to kill anyone he wanted.

"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," said Kotonoha soothingly as she stroked his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," smiled Ryuji. He then felt her stroke his hair and pick out some rubble. "Koto-chan?"

"When we get back home, we're taking a bath together," she stated. "You're filthy. When was the last time you cleaned your hair?"

Ryuji gulped. The last time Kotonoha had washed his hair, it'd been followed by her playing with his hair. She had gentle hands but she always tried to style his hair girlishly. Still, he could never refuse her. She loved to brush and braid his hair and on a deeper level he did too.

"Alright, let's take a bath together," Ryuji smiled. Of course, he was planning on getting down and dirty with her in the tub. His smile widened into a grin. Oh, the possibilities.

Still, his mind went back to when he'd briefly held a Keyblade of his own. Where had it come from and where had it gone? He knew he'd been holding a Keyblade in his hand and used it on Ryuga. Just what was happening to him?

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the ChronoLiner, Warren and Ryuki were sitting across from Ant in the dining car with Ryuga's belt in the middle of the table. Warren had managed to snag it from Ryuga. The pass Ryuga had used to activate it was back with Ryuji where it belonged.

"A simple yet powerful design," said Ant aloud. "It's amazing how Ryuga could get a hold of this belt."

"And luckily for us we took it from him," added Ryuki, relieved that the belt was now in good hands.

"So, can you do anything with it?" asked Warren as he picked his cup of coffee and took a sip. The Owner of the ChronoLiner picked up the belt to inspect it.

Ant put the belt back down on the table, took a sip of his coffee, and said, "Just give me a couple of months and you'll see.

* * *

At the same time, in the GaroLiner, Kenzaki was sitting with Neko in their own dining car as well. Kenzaki spoke, "So, that was your brother's future."

"Pretty much," confirmed Neko. "But it's all the past now. Neither Ryuki nor Ryuji will turn into that thing."

"He kinda reminds me of Sauron," stated Kenzaki, causing Neko to shiver. "Sorry."

"It's okay, but please just don't ever say that name. It gives me goose bumps," said Neko as she took a sip of her milkshake through the straw.

"It seems that your family has a lot of skeletons in its closet," stated Kenzaki honestly.

"Tell me about it. Kat and I used to share a body while also becoming a host to a demonic entity, my brothers could possibly turn into the biggest threat in the Multiverse, and one of them has a demon sealed in him," Neko listed. "It's never normal in the Hasuma Clan."

"Never boring either," smiled Kenzaki. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I just wanna relax," Neko purred as she rubbed her hands up and down Kenzaki's chest. "Or make out. Whatever's fun."

"Making out is fine by me!" grinned Kenzaki.

"Ugh," Okami scoffed. "Get a room. People are trying to eat here."

* * *

Also, Kat herself wasn't idle either as she rode her own bike back home. She had some planning, scheming, and plotting to do. But first…

"Where can you get some caviar in this town?" she asked herself as she sped up. "I'm craving it! Nya!"

* * *

"_Warren, I need some advice," said Ryuji as he pulled out a small velvet box._

_Warren looked at the box and already knew where his kohai was going with this. "Kohai, I'm touched. I really am, but I'm already taken," said Warren as pointed to his wedding ring, a grin on his face._

"_Baka! I'm being serious!" shouted Ryuji._

"_Well, it's pretty simple. Do you love her?" asked Warren._

"_More than anything," answered Ryuji firmly._

"_Then there's your answer," said Warren. "Good luck, kohai."_

* * *

As both teens were eating their dinner in silence in the DynoLiner's dining car, Kotonoha noticed that her boyfriend was looking very deep in thought. She knew something was wrong because of that serious look on his face. Before she could ask what was wrong, he asked, "Koto-chan, how long have we known each other?"

"Pardon?" she responded.

"How long?" he asked.

"I believe it's been 8 months since we first met," Kotonoha recalled aloud. "Why do you ask?"

"And how many times have I risked my life?" he asked her.

Kotonoha didn't like this line of questioning yet she answered him anyway, "I've lost count." It was her turn to ask, "Ryuji-kun, why are you asking me this?"

Ryuji sighed and said, "I've come to realize how short life is. I've almost died a few times being a Rider. Don't get me wrong. I like being a Rider because it gives me a purpose but I've come to realize that there are a lot more important things in life than fighting and that if we don't act quickly, then we may lose important opportunities."

"What are you saying, Ryuji-kun?" asked Kotonoha.

"Just let me finish," Ryuji gulped as he continued talking. "Koto-chan, if it weren't for you, I would have ended up like Ryuga. For all the times I've saved you, you've saved me in such a way I could never repay it, even if I wanted to. You taught me to love, you…you became my heart and my reason for living."

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha sniffled. He was always saying things like this to her. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful boyfriend?

She watched as he reached into his pocket and dug something out. "That's why it's time I ask you this." He got off his seat and knelt down on the floor in front of Kotonoha who gasped when she saw a small red velvet box in Ryuji's hand. He opened it to reveal a gold ring. "Kotonoha Katsura, will you marry me?"

She didn't even need to think about her answer.

* * *

Kat was in her apartment. Rose and Cathy were both asleep, having fallen asleep when she'd been out. Bobby was the only one still awake and his eyes were focused on the TV watching another of those 'Super Robot' animes. Kat herself was using a spoon and eating caviar right out of the can. She was emptying out her 5th can already.

While she was eating, she went back to when she and Ryuji had an interesting chat about relationships and love. For Kat, love was an important subject.

* * *

"_Now, stay there where trash like you belongs," said Kat as she wiped the blood off the steel knuckles of her gloves. She stared at the blood soaked armband she'd used with disdain before tossing it in disgust, "And keep out of my town."_

_Kat was still a resident in Jump City. At times she was a criminal, and sometimes she was a mercenary, but most of the time she was a vigilante that operated outside the law. It suited her just fine. _

"_Beating up gangs again, Kat?" she heard and the former Cat Knight smirked when she saw someone enter the alley. _

"_Ryuki?" she asked hopefully._

"_Try again," the figure said before he walked closer and Kat's lips widened in a grin._

"_Ifrit, my favorite little brother," Kat identified. "How are you doing? When was the last time we saw each other?"_

"_8 months ago," Ryuji answered as he stepped over a body. He looked around to see about 6 of them. "And it's Ryuji now. So, what did they do to piss you off this time?"_

"_Read the armbands," she instructed. Ryuji glanced at one of them and his eyes narrowed._

"_FOH," he snarled in disgust. "That group of bastards again." The FOH were an anti-mutant group and a bunch of fanatics. They hated mutants and even attacked people who supported mutants. Ryuji just viewed them as cowards, bigots and hate-mongers._

"_They were trying to walk in on my turf," snorted Kat. "But I showed them who was boss around here. These are my streets."_

"_Expanding your territory, huh?" Ryuji asked. He knew Kat would try to takeover the criminal underworld in Jump City. Even if she wasn't as evil as she'd been in the past, she still enjoyed the criminal lifestyle. She wasn't a simple crook. Oh no. She was ambitious. She learnt a lot under Slade and was applying those lessons._

"_Oh, not just mine but Slade-sama's as well," Kat smiled. To her, Slade was the closest thing she had to a father. He'd taken her in and raised her as his apprentice and had even admitted to viewing her as his daughter. She'd married Rose not too long ago too. "You weren't at the wedding. I missed you."_

"_Sorry," Ryuji apologized. "Been busy training." Ryuji heard a groan coming from one of the bodies and kicked him in the head to shut him up._

"_You can tell me all about it but not here," said Kat. "Come on, I know this place that makes the best barbeque spare ribs and chili cheese fries in the city."_

"_Consider me there," grinned Ryuji. "Just lead the way."_

_Later, at the restaurant, both dark twins were sharing a large plate of chili cheese fries and a large plate of barbeque spare ribs. Kat ate messily, as did Ryuji, but neither cared for manners. Kat took a swig of her Coke, and asked, "So, what brings you here back to Jump City?"_

"_Just visiting," he told her. "To see how everything is going."_

"_Oh, if you mean the Titans, they've expanded," said Kat. "And recruiting. They've got North and South branches now too."_

"_So I've heard," said Ryuji before stuffing his mouth with a handful of fries._

"_Anyway, when I heard you got separated from Ryuki I was pretty surprised," stated Kat._

"_Hey, you surprised a lot of people when you came back from the dead," remarked Ryuji._

"_The 'welcoming party' I could've done without," Kat said as she recalled the powers and weapons aimed at her. "Still, it's great to be alive."_

"_So, aside from beating up rival gangs trying to steal your turf, what else have you been doing?" asked Ryuji._

"_Oh, I've done a few things. I actually own and run a daycare centre," confessed Kat. Ryuji gawked at her._

"_You're kidding me," Ryuji stared with disbelief. _

"_I love children, if you don't remember," Kat reminded. "I also got myself a day job. I teach kindergarten too."_

_Ryuji just continued to stare. Kat running a daycare centre AND being a kindergarten teacher? Just how long had he been gone?_

"_What made you decide to do all that?" asked Ryuji curiously._

"_Well, children are the future," Kat explained, "If I can teach them to not hate everything that's different than they are then I'm making the world a better place."_

"_Sounds noble," Ryuji sounded skeptical. "What's the catch?"_

"_No catch, I just love children," said Kat honestly. She picked up another rib and began to nibble off the meat. "So, I heard you're on a training mission."_

"_That's right. I need to train myself to become stronger," said Ryuji as he picked up more fries and stuffed his mouth with them._

"_Any particular reason why?" asked Kat._

"_Can I trust you?" he asked._

"_Why do you ask?" she responded._

"_Well, you did call Tiger to separate me from Ryuki," Ryuji clarified. "Yes, I __figured__ it out. You didn't want the competition."_

"_Clever," smiled Kat. "So, mind telling me why you're training yourself hard for?"_

_Ryuji wiped his hands clean with his napkin before reaching inside his pocket to take out a photo. He flipped it over to show it to Kat. She whistled. "Wow, she's a cutie. She looks familiar, though."_

"_Kotonoha Katsura," Ryuji answered and she was surprised. "Sound familiar?"_

"_I watched an anime with a character whose name was Kotonoha," said Kat. "You're in love with a cartoon character?"_

"_She isn't a cartoon character in her world," Ryuji corrected. He then told her about what'd happened and she believed him. He had no reason to lie. "So, I'm training myself to prepare myself once I go to see her again."_

"_But a year? Won't she miss you?" asked Kat._

"_I made a deal with someone. I'd be dropped off days after I left," Ryuji explained._

"_I see. So, you must really love this girl, huh?" Kat pointed to the picture. Ryuji turned it around and stared at it lovingly._

"_That's right. She's given me a new sense of purpose," admitted Ryuji._

"_Well, don't forget to invite me to the wedding," said Kat before she let loose a belch. "Damn, those are good fries."_

"_You're disgusting," Ryuji grimaced._

"_But you love me anyway," she grinned._

* * *

Ryuji and Kotonoha were heading into the school, arm in arm. Kotonoha had the brightest smile anyone had ever seen on her face. On her finger was a gold band that her boyfriend…fiancé had given to her after he proposed. Kotonoha didn't even need one heartbeat of thought to decide what she wanted. She had glomped him crying all the while yelling confirmations. Ryuji himself felt like the luckiest guy on Earth and didn't care how many people shied away from seeing the huge grin on his face. It seemed like nothing could go wrong at this point.

Oh what fools these mortals be.

Outside the school gates, there was a young man, or at least what appeared to be a young man, who was dressed similarly to the Mad Hatter. He was leaning up against a building opposite of the school and had his eyes trained on Ryuji.

"There he is, ladies," Topper spoke, as he pointed with his thumb, "The one with the long wild hair."

Beside Topper were two young women who were in school uniforms from the same school Ryuji and Kotonoha attended. They were both beautiful and had looks that could make boys drop to their knees, hoping for their attention. One had long blonde hair while the other had long dark blue hair. That was where their human qualities ended. The blonde girl had a cute pair of feathered wings coming out of her back and her ears were slightly pointed. The dark blue haired girl had long pointed ears, a tail with a spaded tip coming out from under her skirt and a small pair of horns poking out from her head.

"Are you sure?" frowned the dark-haired girl. "He seemed much older when I last saw him."

"But he is handsome," the blonde sighed with a smile on her face.

"Oh, this is the one you want," Topper insisted. "He's the same age as the two of you and that helps make a better…agreement."

"Considering how much our fathers are paying you we should get the right one," the dark-haired girl huffed.

"Trust me," Topper grinned. "You pay for what you get. You'll like this guy. Now, don't forget to put on your disguises before you go to school."

* * *

While Warren was busy taking attendance, he gave an announcement.

"Today, class, we have two new transfer students joining us. Please, make them feel welcomed," said Warren.

The students were curious. The last few transfer students who'd attended the school had been interesting individuals. They wondered whom these new faces would be and if they were boys or girls. The girls were hoping for handsome boys while the boys were dreaming of beautiful girls. Kotonoha and Ryuji couldn't have cared less as they made eyes for each other. Warren noted how in love they were and knew that wedding bells would be ringing for the two of them. Benitora didn't care much either. He was dating Hikari and he enjoyed every moment he spent with her. Anything else would just get in the way of that same went for Kenzaki who was in a deep and meaningful relationship with Neko

The door slid open and everyone's attention were on the new transfer students who, much to the delight of the boys, were two girls with unearthly beauty. Ryuji just ignored them as they introduced themselves.

"Um, hello," the blonde bowed politely. "M-my name is Siera. It's nice to meet you all."

"Yo!" the dark-haired girl grinned. "I'm Rina. Nice to be here I guess."

The boys (save for Ryuji, Kenzaki and Benitora) leaned forward in their desks with stupid grins on their faces. Both girls were the kind dreams were made out of. Siera was the shy maidenly type of girl you couldn't help but hold and cuddle with. Rina on the other hand was the bust bad girl you just couldn't keep your hands off of.

"Very good," the teacher nodded. "So what brings you here to our school?"

"We're here to marry Ryuji Hasuma!" both girls announced at ounce.

It became so quiet, one could hear crickets. Warren's face cracked a smile and it was obvious that he was trying his hardest to keep from laughing.

"WHAT?!?!?!" the collected students bellowed loudly.

* * *

In class 2-3, Kat stared at her hand which glowed briefly with Rinki. She had Ryuji to thank for that discovery. It was because of him that she'd learnt about RinJyuKen.

* * *

"_You mean there's another JyuKen school?" blinked Kat as she and Ryuji sat at the counter of a bar. Using some fake ID's, they managed to get inside and enjoy some drinks. Both were basically minors but they didn't really care and plus this bar was in Slade's turf so she could come and go as she pleased._

"_Yup," Ryuji clarified, "There's that GekiJyuKen stuff Kenzaki practiced." He noted how Kat scowled. She didn't like Kenzaki all that much and hated the fact that Neko was dating him. The guy put a gun to her head of all things! No way that relationship would work, "The GenJyuKen I practice, and the RinJyuKen."_

"_Tell me more," Kat smiled, interested. _

"_Well, it's basically the anti-thesis of GekiJyuKen. The principle focuses on natural selection. You gotta be strong to survive the harsh training," Ryuji explained, "The art uses a form of Ki called Rinki." Confrontation Ki. Kat was loving the sound of that. "I ran into Craig a while back and he told me that there used to be this place called Rin Jyu Den (Confrontation Beast Hall) located on Confrontation Beast Mountain. Don't ask me where it is, though. I don't know where it is."_

"_Oh, that's fine," said Kat as she took a sip of her drink. "That's just fine."_

* * *

Kat used all the resources she had at her disposal to locate the Confrontation Beast Mountain where the Rin Jyu Den was. She'd climbed it when she finally got there but was disappointed to find charred ruins. Still, she was not discouraged and continued to search for 'buried treasure'. She managed to find the secret underground room where all the scrolls and manuals, depicting the school's teachings, were located. She took the ones that were still in good condition and left behind the ones that had broken apart from age.

One of the scrolls was a manual for the RinJyu Lion-Ken. She practiced it, later modifying it into her Lioness-Ken. She did learn other styles to supplement her new fighting style. In a matter of weeks, she managed to generate her own Confrontation Ki but it was focused more on her hatred of people like the FOH and the fear she generated from her presence. She liked the power. Thankfully, she managed to balance the dark aura by her love for her family.

'_Thank you, Ryuji_,' thought Kat in gratitude as the Ki around her hand flickered away. She eyed Rachel, their English teacher, and smirked. '_Because of you, I've found a way to get rid of a pest._'

* * *

"Start talking," Ryuji growled.

On the rooftop, Kotonoha and Ryuji were trying to enjoy their lunch together and figure out what was going on. Of course, that didn't last long before Siera and Rina came bursting in. Both had lunch boxes with them and had wanted to share before they saw that Kotonoha had beaten them to it.

"Okay," Rina shrugged. "By order of my father, the King of the Demon Kingdom, and Siera's father, the King of the God Kingdom, you Ryuji Hasuma a.k.a. Kamen Rider Ifrit, have been chosen to be our lawfully wedded husband."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Ryuji growled. "Listen, I've never even met you two before. I've never been to your homes either. Just why do your fathers want me to marry you anyway?"

"Well, it's nothing you've done, yet," Siera spoke up. "You saved our homes, you see. In thanks, our fathers wanted to engage us to you, but you left before anything formal could be done."

"Yeah! How could you run off like that?" Rina huffed. "I didn't get a chance to show you how good a wife I could be! Boy was Pop mad about that!"

"My father was disappointed too," Siera nodded. "He really wanted you for a son-in law."

Ryuji's left eye twitched. "So, my future self saved your world?" The two girls nodded. "Great…I have no one to blame but myself."

"Hold on," said Kotonoha, not believing a word of this even if the two girls knew her fiancé's secret identity. "How can you prove you're both princesses? Gods? Demons?" Though Kotonoha had seen a lot of strange things since dating Ryuji, she also required proof. "And, how exactly did Ryuji-kun save your world?"

"It was not long ago in our world when he came into our lives. Two years ago, in our world, a great evil had descended and threatened to destroy our home. That was when a great serpent came and with it a hero," Siera regaled the tale.

"Great serpent?" Kotonoha looked towards Ryuji.

"The DynoLiner," he clarified. "OK, I get that, but why did you both decide you wanted me?"

"Because you rescued us and carried us within your vehicle," spoke Rina. "You wore a mask but we could still see you were the good guy."

"Then how do you know that I'm the one you're looking for?" Ryuji asked. If he played his cards right then maybe he could convince the girls that he wasn't the one that they were looking for.

"That would be me who told them," a new voice answered. Everyone turned to the entrance to the roof and saw the familiar image of Topper leaning against the door. Well, he was familiar to everyone but Kotonoha. His nickname was the Infernal Merchant and he was an infamous figure.

"Topper!" Ryuji snapped. "I should have known! Why the hell did you tell these two I was here?!"

"Their fathers paid me a king's ransom to make sure their daughters found you," Topper grinned as he lit a cigar. "They both paid me extra for an increased chance of their daughters marrying you so I decided to have them meet you when you were their age."

"But I'm engaged to Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried out as she snagged her man's arm. "He's mine! You can't have him!"

"Listen, toots," Rina frowned. "I'm a princess and my needs come way before yours! I'm engaged to Ryuji with Siera so just back off and let me have my husband."

"Oi, back off!" Ryuji snapped. "I'm marrying Kotonoha, not you!"

"But why her?" asked Rina, confused. How could Ryuji choose a commoner over her?

"Because…she saved my heart before it would fall into the darkness," he said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Neko was doing crowd control by explaining to the others what was going on regarding this 'engagement' business.

"So, you see, it was an arrangement from many generations ago," finished Neko. It was the best story she could come up with. A total lie. The actual truth was actual bizarre and unbelievable.

"So your family had a debt to theirs in the past?" asked one curious student. "And they never called it in until now, by asking for a marriage agreement?

"That's right," Neko nodded.

"But they both want to marry Ryuji," pointed out another girl. "That's just not possible."

"Thus the problem," Kenzaki muttered. "Especially since he's already with Kotonoha. She's going to freak over this."

"Kotonoha? What about Ryuji?" asked Neko. "I'm afraid of what he'll do to get them to back off. You know how much he loves her."

"Oh gee, I hadn't noticed," Kenzaki chuckled. "Kotonoha will keep him from doing something too stupid."

* * *

"Let me go, Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha snapped as she tried to grab Rina. Siera backed away looking slightly startled while Ryuji held his fiancée back.

"Just ignore her, Koto-chan!" Ryuji cried as he held her back. "Don't let her get to you!"

"She said she can please you better than me! She's not getting anywhere near our bed!" Kotonoha snapped.

"Like you can keep me away!" Rina teased. "I've been taught everything about sex by succubae! Once I get my hooks into my hubby then he'll be all mine!"

"He's my husband too," Siera huffed.

"You can have him when I'm done," Rina shrugged. She then looked at Kotonoha with a grin. "Now just give up my hubby and we can all be happy."

"He's mine!" Kotonoha growled.

"Don't I have a say in this!?" shouted Ryuji as he continued to hold his beloved fiancée back from harming Rina. Right now he was regretting letting her carry her dozuki on her since she was trying to slide it out of its holster. She wanted to use it on this bitch's throat.

"Okay, listen up!" Ryuji shouted, getting the three girls' attention. "Seriously, you two don't want to be part of my life. I am not some kind of prince or fairytale knight, and you will not get pampered like you probably were back in your home. I live a dangerous life and you'd be risking yourself if you hang out with me."

"Sounds awesome!" Rina grinned. "I knew you wouldn't be boring!"

"Um…I'm sure you'd keep me safe," Siera smiled with a blush. "I have faith in you."

Sitting on the fence, watching everything happen was Warren. He had a bag of popcorn and was enjoying watching all of this. His presence was completely masked, meaning that to them he was completely invisible, even to Topper (or so he would like to think). He decided that he'd only intervene if Kotonoha broke free of Ryuji's grasp.

* * *

Ryuji felt like his day was a worse hell than when Ryuga decided to hang around. Rina and Siera had tried to score points with him all day. They tried to show how smart they were in class by answering questions. At lunch, they offered to share lunches and muscle Kotonoha out. At least Siera was polite about it and when she got no for an answer, she respected it. Rina on the other hand couldn't take a hint.

By the end of the day, Kotonoha was on the verge of tears. All of this was just reminding her of when Makoto had left her when faced with another girl who liked him. As much as her mind told her that it wouldn't happen with Ryuji, she was still terrified in her heart that it might happen again.

Rina was such a brash girl and definitely a rival for her in the bust department. She wasn't afraid of stating her opinion and she meant it. That was proven when she kept stating how dumb some historic figures were during history class. Her cooking kind of sucked, which made Kotonoha happy since Ryuji would like her cooking better. She was a little envious of how Rina could be so sure of herself.

Siera was a polar opposite. She was like a maiden and so very shy. She was beautiful though, but it was like she didn't know it. Her bust was smaller than Rina's but her cooking was much better than the demon princess'. Again, Kotonoha was finding herself feeling plain and unattractive in the face of the two princesses who were after her fiancé's heart.

The time when Ryuji had proposed to her had made Kotonoha the happiest girl in the world. He was basically pledging himself to her to become her husband but now these two princesses were trying to steal him away. She knew Ryuji would NEVER do anything to harm her but these two girls were royalty. How was she going to compete with that?

* * *

The couple was heading home after a long day. Ryuji just wanted to relax and maybe dote on Kotonoha for a few hours. She had a bad day so far and she needed to find a way to relax. Frankly, Ryuji was wondering if nothing but their usual mind-blowing sex would make her smile again.

"So where are we going?" asked a voice. "Your place?"

Ryuji and Kotonoha stiffened and turned. Behind them was none other than the demonic and angelic princesses that had been a pain in both their butts all day. Rina looked expectant about something while Siera was twiddling her fingers.

"ME and KOTONOHA are going home," Ryuji frowned. "You two can go to wherever it is you are staying while you keep up with your delusions of trying to make me marry you."

"Well, since we are engaged, it's only proper that the brides and groom stay in the same house," Rina sniffed. "Are you saying you aren't going to give us that courtesy?"

"It…it is proper," Siera nodded. Her blush indicated that she was having some second thoughts about that certain idea.

"Then there's no problem with me and Kotonoha then," Ryuji snorted. "You two can take a hike."

Siera frowned sadly while Rina snorted and then began to smirk, "Really, just what is the big deal? Siera and I are both princesses, filthy rich, definitely hot, and both of us have taken lessons on how to be good wives both in the kitchen and the bedroom. We both don't mind sharing so why are you so reluctant?"

"Call me old-fashioned, but I'm strictly a one-woman-man and I've made my choice." Ryuji emphasized this point by wrapping an arm possessively around Kotonoha's waist and pulled his fiancée close to him. Kotonoha blushed and gave a victorious smirk aimed at Rina who took notice and huffed. He let go of Kotonoha for a moment to continue, "Look, I can understand what it's like to go on a search for someone you love, but you've wasted your time and your fathers' money on trying to look for me. I'm sorry, but I can't marry you. Goodbye." He took Kotonoha's hand and they both ran from Siera and Rina, never looking back.

Ryuji swiftly turned a corner with Kotonoha in tow. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Pass. Going to the nearest door, he tore it open and leaped inside with Kotonoha, landing in the Sands of Time. The DynoLiner was only a few feet away and racing towards them.

"There!" Ryuji laughed. "Let's see them try to follow us now!"

* * *

"Ryuji!" Loki called cheerfully as he saw his partner enter. "We have guests! They say they know you."

Ryuji nearly face faulted when he saw both Rina and Siera in the living room being served tea and cookies. "How the hell did you to get here before us!?" Ryuji shouted.

"Magic," Rina answered simply.

"Get out," Kotonoha demanded, stomping over to Rina and Siera. "Get out! I want you out of my house! I want you both to stay away from my Ryuji-kun!"

"Sorry, but we can't do that," said Rina arrogantly but then she felt cold steel being pressed against her throat. Siera gasped as she saw Kotonoha holding a dozuki threateningly.

"That was NOT a request," Kotonoha said ferociously. Ryuji didn't want his fiancée to spill blood so he quickly intervened and pulled Kotonoha away.

"Now, now, Koto-chan," Ryuji said soothingly. "You can't kill them." He added jokingly, "It'll be murder to get the stains out of the carpet."

"Look," Rina said after recovering from her surprise, messaging her throat. "It doesn't matter what you have to say. Our fathers have decided that you are to be our husband. If you have a problem with it, take it up with them."

"And I full intent to have a word with them," said Ryuji as he took out a Rider ticket. "It's time for me to pay your world a visit." The ticket he held weren't time tickets. They were world tickets that would record the coordinates of worlds when held over a resident of that world. He walked closer and held the world ticket over Siera's head. In a matter of seconds, the coordinates appeared on the blank ticket.

"How are we getting there?" asked Rina. Both she and Siera had ridden a dragon clad in castle-like armor. How was Ryuji going to take them home?

"Follow me," said Ryuji as he headed for the door. He opened it up to reveal the Sands of Time and the DynoLiner waiting just outside. "Koto-chan, let's go."

"Hai," Kotonoha nodded. She didn't want these two girls here stealing away her Ryuji-kun.

"Don't forget about me!" said Loki cheerfully as he went after Ryuji.

The group boarded the DynoLiner. For Rina and Siera, this was their second time boarding but back then it'd looked different. Still, the dining car was adequate. Kotonoha sat at a booth with Ryuji beside her as Siera and Rina took seats in a booth opposite the couple. Kotonoha was sending them glares. Loki had gone to the cockpit to enter the coordinates using Ryuji's old Ifrit Pass and the world card.

Athena too was sitting in the dining car, watching over her contractor. She could sense Kotonoha's uneasiness and wanted to make sure this venture went smoothly. Since the two princesses came from a world of gods and demons, they didn't view creatures like Loki and Athena to be unusual.

The train soon raced towards a portal before disappearing into it. It was headed for Rina and Siera's home world.

* * *

The portal appeared above what looked to be a medieval looking castle. Ryuji looked out the window, wondering if this was the Kingdom of the Gods or Kingdom of the Demons. Either way, he was going to have serious chat about this engagement business.

The citizens saw the train in the air and many of them panicked. However, a few others recognized it as the 'Great Serpent' and steed of the 'Great Knight' who'd saved them before

"It's my kingdom!" said Siera, recognizing the castle.

"Good, then we're at the right place," said Ryuji. "After this, we'll go see Rina's dad and straighten this whole mess up."

"You don't have to go far," said Rina. "Pop and Siera's dad always hang out together. If Siera's dad isn't here, then he's in my kingdom."

"I don't understand how demons and gods can live in peace," Kotonoha spoke up.

"Well, we had a civil war that lasted a pretty long time," said Rina. "But it ended when my aunt married Siera's dad."

"You two are cousins?" Ryuji blinked. He never knew.

"Well, actually, cousins by marriage. Rina's aunt isn't my mother. She's my stepmother," Siera explained.

"Talk about a strange family," muttered Ryuji as the DynoLiner landed. The door opened to let them out.

"Hey, it's what gave us peace for so long so it works for me," Rina shrugged as she was the last to exit.

Ryuji snorted and began walking towards the castle. He noticed that all of the people had wings, which made Ryuji believe he was in the God Kingdom. All the people were either staring at him or the DynoLiner, obviously remembering the hero who had saved their world. Still, he could hear a lot of them wondering if he was the hero's son. He looked back to see that Rina and Siera had shed their own disguises. Siera had a pair of white wings that was a lot like everyone else's while Rina had sprouted a pair of horns and a spade tail. It made it painfully obvious which kingdom each girl came from.

Walking to the front of the castle, Ryuji found some satisfaction in seeing that the guards weren't giving him a hard time. Obviously they could tell who he was. Continuing unobstructed, he entered the castle.

"So where does your dad usually hang out, Siera?" Ryuji asked without turning back.

"Ummm, probably in the throne room since he has duties and such during the day," Siera answered. "But if Uncle has come over then they'll probably be in the main hall talking or something."

"Which way's closer?"

"Main hall."

"Main Hall it is then," Ryuji nodded. "Show us the way."

Kotonoha chose to walk close to Ryuji as Siera led the way just to make a point that he was already taken. Once this mess was taken care of, she would have Ryuji all to herself. Maybe he'd be so grateful that he would want to have her in bed. Kotonoha giggled as she looked forward to making love to her fiancé.

Rina and Siera were at the front of the group. Rina gave Kotonoha dirty looks which were returned. Behind Kotonoha and Ryuji were Loki and Athena. Athena looked upon herself a Kotonoha's guardian and servant while Loki was bringing a basket of cookies.

Lining the hallway were portraits of royalty and suits of armor along with torches. They soon reached a tall set of double doors with two guards flanking it. The two guards saw the princesses.

"What brings you back here, your highness?" one guard asked.

"We wish for audience with my father, King Eustace," said Siera.

"Well, he is busy speaking with King Frederick on important matters," stated the other guard.

Rina snorted, "Yeah, right! I bet Pop is in there drinking and singing along with Uncle Eustace."

"Let us enter," said Siera.

"What of the people with you?" the first guard asked.

"Oh, they're with us," said Rina. "The man is our husband-to-be." Rina smirked a Kotonoha gave her a look of contempt. "The others are just accessories."

"I'll show you accessory," muttered Kotonoha as she got ready to reach for her dozuki but Ryuji squeezed her shoulder and shook his head. She nodded and relaxed.

The doors opened and the group entered the main hall. Rina's guest was right it seems. Both King Frederick of the Demon Kingdom and King Eustace of the God Kingdom were dancing with mugs of wine. King Eustace was a large muscular man with a moustache and short spiky hair. As a god, he had slightly pointed ears and wings. He wore a blue tunic, matching pants and furry brown boots. King Frederick, on the other hand, was thin with long silvery hair. Like the demons of this realm, he too sported long pointed ears, a spade tail and horns. He was wearing leather pants, boots and a black shirt.

They didn't look or act like kings at all. They just reminded Ryuji of a pair of idiots as he watched them dance and sing, "Our daughters are getting married! Our daughters are getting married!"

"These two are kings?" Ryuji asked Rina and Siera skeptically.

"When they're not drinking," Rina sighed in embarrassment.

"Daddy," Siera groaned. She was hoping for her future husband not to see her father like this just yet.

"Oi!" Ryuji snapped, catching the attention of the two. "Are you two Eustace and Frederick? The kings of this God Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom?

"Huh?" Eustace blinked. "Oh, that's us. Yeah. Who are you? A suitor for our daughters?"

"Well, you're too late!" Frederick shouted. "We already got them a husband. A real hero of a guy too! Nothing you can give can match what that great hero did. He saved the entire world from all those weird monsters…and stuff."

"So I've heard," Ryuji sighed. "Okay, listen up! My name's Ryuji Hasuma! Kamen Rider Ifrit. You know, the guy who saved your world. Well, at least I will….I think. Time paradoxes are confusing." Ryuji scratched his head. This was giving him a headache.

"Eh?" Eustace blinked as he leaned down to get a look at Ryuji better. "You sure? I'm pretty sure he was taller and had a deeper voice."

"You guys paid Topper to find him, didn't you?" Ryuji sighed. It was like seeing Ranma and Akane's fathers. Time would tell if these guys were just as dumb or not. "Well, with that little bit you paid him, he took them back to when I'm their age."

"Huh?" Frederick blinked. He then broke out in a stupid grin. "Well, that's what I call getting my money's worth! I knew that extra bit would help!"

"Right you were, Fred!" Eustace grinned. "Now our daughters will have no problems marrying our great hero!"

"Hold on!" Ryuji snapped. He didn't care if these two men were kings. As far as he was concerned, they didn't deserve his respect. That was why he wasn't bowing down or kneeling to these two idiots. "I haven't agreed to anything at all!" The two kings looked at him like he was crazy. "Listen, I know you both want what's best for your daughters. Frankly, I don't blame you two, being fathers and all. Still, forcing me to marry them isn't exactly the way to go. And, for the record, I'm NOT interested." Ryuji crossed his arms.

"My boy, are you crazy?" spoke Eustace as he walked up to Ryuji, standing at a head taller than the Rider. "Look at her." Eustace pulled Siera over to show his daughter off to Ryuji. "She's a princess. She's beautiful and would definitely make a good wife. Also, she has nice hips. Perfect for bearing children!"

WHAM!

"Daddy, you're embarrassing me!" snapped Siera with her face red after she'd just put her father down with a punch.

"And my Rina isn't bad to look at either," boasted Frederick. "She has a nice face and a lovely figure. What else could you ask for?" Frederick sighed, "Of course, her cooking skills are lacking.

"Pop, don't embarrass me," Rina growled.

Ryuji growled and then walked over to Kotonoha to grab her hand. "One problem," He held up his hand and Kotonoha's, showing off the engagement rings. "I'm taken and I've decided already who I want to marry. It's her."

King Eustace, however, laughed. "That isn't a problem, my boy! You see, our kingdom is actually a polygamist society!"

"Ours too," added King Frederick. "It's not uncommon for a single man to take many wives. I have three."

"Same here!" laughed King Eustace merrily. "That's the limit, though. One man can only have three wives. It's the law."

Ryuji gawked with his jaw dropped while Kotonoha's eyes went wide. Loki, however, went over and presented the two kings with his basket. He knelt down before them bowing his head. "Your majesties," he spoke, "As Ryuji's guardian, I wish to present you with this gift basket of fresh cookies and-ACK!" Ryuji was behind him and pulling Loki's head painfully backwards by tugging at his horns. "Ryuji! That hurts!"

"Stop being stupid, Loki!" Ryuji snapped.

"But when meeting new people, we need to make a good impression!" Loki reasoned.

"Urusei, urusei, urusei!" Ryuji snapped as he put his foot in the small of Loki's back and pulled harder on the horns, causing Loki more pain.

"He's a lively one, isn't he, Rina?" said King Frederick.

"Now you know why I like him," the Princess of the Demon Kingdom smiled.

"Hey, these cookies aren't bad!" King Eustace announced as he stuffed his mouth with them.

"Daddy, save some for me!" pouted Siera.

Kotonoha just stared as Athena walked up to her contractor. "Not your day, is it, Lady Kotonoha?"

"No, it isn't," Kotonoha shook her head.

"OK, OK, I've seen and heard enough," said a voice, much to everyone's shock. Ryuji turned to his side only to see Warren standing there.

"How long have you been there?" growled Ryuji as he let go of Loki.

"The entire time, kohai," said Warren, grinning. "Wow, three beautiful women. I must be rubbing off on you."

"Urusei, bakayarou!" Ryuji snapped.

"And who might you be?" asked King Frederick. If this man was a threat than his friend Eustace would call for his guards.

"You can call me Ryuji's friend, teacher and senior," introduced Warren, "Name's Warren Smith."

"Warren-sensei!" Siera gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"How did you get here?" asked Rina. They didn't know he was friends with Ryuji.

"Snuck aboard the train," said Warren, "Just masked my presence so none of you noticed me."

"I bet Topper noticed you," muttered Ryuji.

"If he did, he didn't say anything," shrugged Warren. "I'm just here to watch over everything."

"Well, since we have guests as well as our daughters' future husband present, we should have a feast to welcome them," suggested King Frederick.

"Alright, a feast!" agreed King Eustace. "I'll tell the royal cooks to prepare a feast fit for a king! And since I am a king then there won't be a problem!"

"I'm kinda hungry myself," said Warren.

"Warren," hissed Ryuji. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, kohai, I got a plan," smiled Warren confidently.

* * *

Kenzaki had witnessed how happy both Ryuji and Kotonoha were. It was a huge surprise to find out that they were engaged and more shockingly it had been Ryuji who'd proposed. Kenzaki had gone to confront his fellow Rider. He hadn't gotten along so well with Ryuji in the beginning but now viewed him in a new light. Kenzaki could actually respect how Ryuji was brave enough to propose to his girlfriend.

When Kenzaki had asked how Ryuji could propose to Kotonoha, Ryuji answered by telling him how much the girl meant to him.

It was a simple answer, but it meant a whole lot. So, Kenzaki decided to do some planning as well as thinking.

He loved Neko, a lot, which was why he was willing to tolerate her evil twin. He wasn't sure how much he loved her until she'd died after Katherine's defeat. He knew that this job was dangerous. Gou had died too and it was only a matter of time before he would die as well. At least he would want to die without regrets so he decided to take the plunge.

He'd gone to King's Terminal to pick out the perfect ring and even made dinner reservations at a 5-Star restaurant, which was easy since he was a Rider and that got him special treatment. He'd also cleaned himself up nice.

He wanted to surprise Neko, using the date as the perfect backdrop for when he finally popped the question. He just hoped nothing ruined it.

* * *

Ryuji, Kotonoha, their Imagin and Warren were in the Royal Dining Room with the two princesses and their fathers the King of the Demon Kingdom and King of the God Kingdom. Both Kings were seated at opposite ends of the table while their guests and daughters were seated along the sides. Ryuji had ended up seated between the two princesses and sitting across from him was Kotonoha who didn't look like she had an appetite at all. She was between Athena and Loki. Warren was seated next to Loki.

Ryuji wasn't sure what to think of this arrangement. It was like a bad dream…or Ranma Saotome's life. Normal guys didn't get surprised engagements to royalty. Of course normal guys didn't have trains that could travel through time and space and fought monsters periodically.

"So, my boy, have you decided which one of our daughters you wish to marry?" King Eustace asked. "Because, if you marry my Siera, you'll become the next King of the God Kingdom."

"But if you marry my daughter, Rina, you may eventually take my place as the King of the Demon Kingdom. That's a lot of power, Ryuji," added King Frederick.

"You'll have servants to wait on you hand and foot," said King Eustace merrily, "And an army that will follow your every order."

"Not to mention the power and privileges that goes with the position," continued King Frederick.

Ryuji looked at Rina who was on his left then Siera who was on his right. He then looked in front of him to see Kotonoha, stabbing at the piece of chicken on her plate repeatedly. She looked ready to murder someone if this went on.

"Hold on," said Warren, attempting to defuse the situation. "Your Majesties, as you must know my kohai here has a dangerous job. Your daughters may end up getting hurt. Is that what either of you want?"

"Of course not," King Eustace shook his head. "But we both know Ryuji will be sure to protect them."

"He's done it before," said King Frederick, remembering how Ryuji's future self had saved their world.

"Tell me how Ryuji's future self saved you," requested Warren. He needed details.

"Well, it was two years ago when it happened…" King Eustace began.

* * *

Kenzaki and Neko arrived at the restaurant and were immediately seated. "Wow, Ken-kun," admired Neko, "This place looks amazing."

"Thanks, Neko," Kenzaki smiled. "It's been a while since you and I had the chance to go on an actual date, so I wanted to make it special."

"Being with you is always special," said Neko, smiling back at her boyfriend.

The loving couple was unaware, however, that they were being watched. A few tables away, Kat was watching the pair with contempt and disgust. "Damn it," she cursed. "That sly wolf is putting on the moves with my sis. I can't let him steal her away." She glanced toward the waitresses and kitchen. "Hm…"

"So, what's the occasion?" asked Neko.

"I just wanted some alone time with you," said Kenzaki. "With everything that's been going on the two of us are rarely alone anymore."

"Well, we do share a train with six other people, and then there's school, work, my siblings…" listed off Neko.

"And my sibling…" added Kenzaki.

"Yes, him," nodded Neko. "Still, at least going to school has been fun. We've made some great friends along the way."

"That's true. I never had many friends growing up and I never went to high school, so it feels good to be normal for a change."

"Or as normal as we can be," sighed Neko. "Still, I'm glad that you and my sister can at least be civil with each other. Lately, I thought you two were going to try and kill each other."

'_Trust me, I've wanted to_' thought Kenzaki. "It's only because of you that the two of us can be like that."

"I know that one day we'll be one happy family," she said happily.

Kat, having used her shapeshifting ability to disguise herself, walked over. She had assumed the form of a tanned blonde. "Here are your menus. I'll be your waitress for this evening," she said.

Kenzaki took the menu from the disguised Kat. "Thank you," he nodded. '_Something feels off about her…_'

"When you're ready to order, please call for me. My name's Kitty," said Kat as she bowed and left.

Neko looked at the menu and was shocked at the prices. "Can we afford all this?" she asked warily.

"Don't worry," assured Kenzaki. "When I was out earlier I stumbled upon an A-Class bounty. Get whatever you want."

Neko smiled widely. "Can we have all the fish dishes?" she asked.

"Of course," said Kenzaki with a nod.

"OK, what should we have for an appetizer?"

"Well, it's been a while since I've been at this restaurant, but if I remember correctly, the crab cakes are very good."

"Crab cakes!" said Neko excitedly.

Kat walked back up to them. "So, are you two ready to order? Sir, does your sister want anything?" Kat was basically mocking him. Implying he could only get a date with his sister. Kenzaki shot a glare at his "waitress".

"She's my girlfriend, _not_ my sister," growled Kenzaki. "Neko, why don't you order first?"

"Can we have some crab cakes for an appetizer?" asked Neko.

"Would you like the special dip?" questioned Kat.

"Sure, why not?" answered Kenzaki.

"OK, crab cakes for appetizer" said Kat as she jotted it down on the notepad, which had the order and a doodle of Kenzaki in a guillotine. "Coming right up. I'll be back in a jiffy!" Kat walked to the kitchen.

"She seems nice," said Neko.

"She seems a little familiar. Does she remind you of anyone?" Kenzaki asked.

"Well…Kotonoha-chan's a waitress too." Neko didn't seem to notice anything was off at all.

Kat then walked back over to them with the crab cakes. "Here are the crab cakes! And here's the dip! Whoops!" she said as she 'accidentally' dropped the dipping bowl in Kenzaki's lap.

"That's…that's fine…accidents happen…" said Kenzaki, trying to keep his anger in check, as he wiped the dip off his lap.

"OK, how about drinks? Anything you have in mind?" asked Kat, planning on what she could do to Kenzaki's drink.

"A bottle of your finest wine," ordered Kenzaki.

"Alright. Hope you're ready to order the main course by then," she said with a wink. Kat walked off to get their order.

"Something doesn't feel right about her…but I just can't place it," said Kenzaki.

"You're being paranoid," shrugged Neko. Both were unaware that Kat was actually influencing Neko's thoughts and senses, keeping her hidden from her other half.

"Maybe, but being a bounty hunter for as long as I have will do that to you," said Kenzaki.

Kat then came back with the wine in a bucket of ice. "Here you go. Enjoy," she said, pouring the couple each a glass of wine. She hadn't done anything to spoil the wine. She respected it.

"Thank you, Kitty," said Kenzaki. "Neko, why don't you go ahead and order whatever you'd like."

"Fish and Chips," she said happily.

Kat smiled at her. "My fave too. And what about you, sir?"

"I'll have the steak, cooked medium-rare," ordered Kenzaki.

"Medium-rare steak," said Kat as she jotted it down on the notepad, as well as several ideas of how to mess with it. "OK, I'll be right back with your order."

* * *

Back in King Eustace's palace, the King of the God Kingdom had just finished his tale.

"The HorrorLiner and Sauron," Warren muttered. "I should've known." King Eustace had mentioned black skeletons with wings released by a machine with a demonic skull in the front. It was pretty obvious that Sauron had tried to destroy this world in order to absorb its essence and erase every trace of its existence because of her insatiable hunger and lust for mindless destruction.

"Well, that's explain why I saved this place…or why I am going to save this place," Ryuji rubbed his temples. "Time travel gives me headaches."

"Just don't think about it," advised Warren.

"Since then, we've been trying to track you down, especially when our daughters wouldn't shut up about you," said King Frederick.

"Then Topper showed up," Ryuji finished. The Infernal Merchant could always be found when people were desperate enough to have something and willing to pay anything for it.

"He offered to find you once we gave him the proper compensation," said King Eustace with a smile. "It wasn't cheap, mind you, but I'm not complaining about the results."

"Sorry, but I may have to decline this generous offer," spoke Ryuji. "I'm strictly a one-woman-man. Call me old-fashioned, but that's the way it is."

"Are you sure we can't change your mind?" asked King Frederick.

"At least try and get to know our daughters first," requested King Eustace. "You might like them."

"Maybe…" Ryuji glanced at Rina and Siera. "But I'm not so sure since I've made my choice." He reached across the table to take Kotonoha's hand. "And I'm sure it's the right one since we're in love."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun…" smiled Kotonoha with a blush on her cheeks.

"Well, there you go," said Warren. "Ryuji's made his choice. Sorry about this whole thing."

"Now, hold on a second," said King Eustace firmly. "You're not even giving my Siera a chance. Couldn't you at least go out on a date with her?"

"And my Rina also wants a chance to win your heart," said King Frederick with a frown. "Why not give it a chance?"

Ryuji sighed. He then heard Warren speak into his mind, '_It's sometimes best to compromise, Ryuji._'

'_Fine,_' Ryuji returned. "OK, I'll go on one date with each of them," said Ryuji, much to Kotonoha's shock. "But…if I don't like them, can we call this off?"

"All we want is our daughters to be happy," said King Eustace.

"Well, then, it's a deal," nodded Ryuji. He then felt Rina grab his butt. "Hey!" he snapped at her.

"Nice and firm," Rinagrinned. "I think I'm gonna like you when we share a bed."

"Don't count on it," muttered Ryuji.

Warren noted that the two kings didn't verbally agree with Ryuji's compromise. Well, one didn't become a king and stay there if he was stupid. He would have pointed out the verbal ploy, but this was a thin ice situation. Press too hard and it would piss the two kings off. And if there was one thing that Warren learned, it was that you didn't piss off gods or demons unless they really deserved it. Then again, in his experience, they _always _deserved it.

* * *

After dinner, Ryuji and Kotonoha retired to the DynoLiner since it was the only place that they felt they could get any privacy. Siera and Rina wanted to come onboard, but Ryuji denied them access. They didn't like it, but they really couldn't do anything about it.

"Isn't there any way we can get around this quicker?" Kotonoha asked.

At the moment, both were lying down in bed and he had his arms wrapped around her. She liked the tight embrace and wasn't going to leave it anytime soon. It was a fond reminder that she had Ryuji firmly even though the other two girls were trying to take him.

"Not really," Ryuji sighed. "I just need to go on a date with each of them and then I can cut it off. Simple as that. And they wanted to plan the dates since they want to make sure that they have the best chance of making a good impression."

"Nnnn!" Kotonoha frowned. "Why do these things have to happen?"

"My bad luck I suppose," Ryuji shrugged. "We'll get through this. Once these dates are over I'll tell the kings that it won't work out and their daughters can go find guys of their own. Sorry it had to happen like this."

"I'm not upset that you save this world in the future," Kotonoha mumbled into his chest. "And it sounds like you left before the kings could engage their daughters to you. I'm just upset that this had to land on our laps now."

* * *

Siera was in her room, drawing in her sketchbook. It'd been filled with drawings of her beloved knight who'd saved her life two years ago. Since then she'd wanted to meet him again, to be with him. She'd fallen head over heels in love and didn't care that he was human (or so she thought, unaware of his true nature).

That day she'd been playing in the garden with Rina when dark creatures suddenly dropped down from the sky and tried to eat them. She knew they had wanted to eat her and Rina. They way they'd looked at her were how a predator would leer at its prey before it pounced. Rina had tried to use her demon magic but it was ineffective against these creatures.

Then, a knight clad in black armor had appeared and slain the creatures before taking them into his vehicle to keep them safe as he battled with another vehicle similar to his own but more demonic in appearance. After the battle had been won, he returned the princesses to their fathers before vanishing.

Though Ryuji was presently reluctant about the engagement, she knew she could change her mind. Rina was sure they could win him over with their charm and feminine wiles. They were princesses and well-trained for the role of wives. Even if Ryuji was engaged to that human girl, Kotonoha, that didn't mean he couldn't have another wife or two. They just had to show him that having her and Rina would be more fun.

As Siera drew, a golden orb floated into her room. It admired her for a second before darting into her body. She gasped as sand poured out of her and compiled on the floor into a strange creature.

"Want me to make your wish come true?" asked the creature.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rina was already in bed, asleep, but she was covered in sweat and panting. The lack of clothing under her covers showed that she was sleeping in the nude. She liked to sleep naked and didn't care if anyone saw her. Deep down she wished that she would be nude alongside her future husband. Ryuji may be a little rough around the edges but that was the type of man she wanted. A strong warrior was the type of guy she wanted to marry and his demeanor proves that he was one tough cookie. If only he wasn't so resistant but Rina was sure she could wear him down.

The succubae had taught the demon princess the art of seduction. All Rina had to do was make sure Ryuji saw how fun she would be in bed. Heck, she was even willing to share with Siera. It was that human girl that she didn't like. How could Ryuji choose her over them? They were princesses after all.

Still, he was young as they were. There was still time to change his mind and soon he would be standing at the altar with her before retiring to bed together to make love and children. Rina was acrobatic in the bedroom if her tutors were right.

A golden orb entered her bed chamber and hovered above the sleeping princess. It hovered closer, 'listening' to her murmurs before finding her a satisfactory host and contractor. With what could be considered a chuckle, the orb entered her, causing her to awake with a shocked gasp. The sand spilled off her body and compiled at the foot of her bed, turning into a strange creature.

"I can help make your dream come true," the creature offered. "Whaddya say?"

* * *

Ryuji was NOT enjoying himself as he was dragged through the streets by Rina and Siera. Both girls were definitely enthusiastic on their date with him. Ryuji secretly thought that they planned to double team him in one date to try and make him forget Kotonoha. After they got him, then they would decide on who got to marry him first.

'_It's not going to go that far,_' Ryuji thought to himself as the girls showed him through some of the streets.

Siera was definitely a loved figure to her people. They would all wave to her and say greetings. Of course, Ryuji could have done without some people whispering how lucky he was to have her or stating how good a wife she would be. They meant well, but Ryuji was feeling absolutely murderous after the fifth one. Still, Ryuji wanted to kill Topper for pushing the two into his lap. That jerk would do anything for a profit.

Ryuji remembered the first time he'd personally met the guy. It'd been some time after he'd discovered the GenJyuKen scroll.

* * *

_Ryuji found himself in Gotham City. He was just sitting on a bench, waiting for a bus, when he heard someone walk over. Gotham City was a dangerous place, especially at night, so Ryuji kept himself alert. The 'rogues' here were criminally insane, unlike the ones the Titans were used to. He then noticed someone had taken a seat next to him. From a glance, he looked like someone trying to copy the Mad Hatter's style but Ryuji's instincts were telling him that this guy wasn't human. Since the day he'd gained that Mythical Ki, his senses had become more sensitive._

"_You're not human," said Ryuji bluntly and the man smiled. "Am I right?"_

"_And I thought my disguise was perfect," the man said, looking back at Ryuji with blue and grey eyes. "Call me Topper."_

_It was an alias, obviously. "I know who you are. We've met, though I was in a different form. What's your real name?" Topper chuckled._

"_Oh, my real name will make you want to kill yourself," the man stated with amusement. "But I've gone by many names. It's just that Topper just stuck for a reason."_

'_I can see why,' Ryuji saw the top hat. "So, what brings you here to Gotham?"_

"_Business," Topper answered as he lit his cigar and smoked it._

"_What kind of business?" asked Ryuji, partly curious and partly suspicious._

"_Oh, trade," Topper answered, "Supply and demand. That sort of thing."_

"_I'm guessing it's not the usual thing people would buy," said Ryuji._

"_I seek only those desperate enough to give up anything for anything," said Topper vaguely. "And I sense desperation coming off you, which is why I came."_

"_I'm not desperate," Ryuji denied._

"_You're trying to become stronger, purge yourself of your inhumanity and control your bestial instincts so you can go see your lover again," stated Topper. Ryuji's eyes widened. _

'_Is he reading my mind?' Ryuji thought. He got his answer._

"_Yes, yes I am," Topper nodded as he blew out a puff of smoke._

"_Stay out of my head," Ryuji growled._

"_I just thought you might be interested in what I have for you," said Topper. "Anything and everything in this world is for sale, desires included."_

"_Sorry," Ryuji stood up. "Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying. There's always a catch."_

"_It's the price one must pay for their desires. Equal price for what they wish for. Equivalent exchange."_

"_Sorry, but I'm not interested in making deals with the Devil," said Ryuji. The bus came and Ryuji boarded it. He stared at Topper who gave him a wave and Ryuji bristled uncomfortably. 'Creep.' The bus then drove off._

"_You'll be seeing me again," Topper called. "You may never know where or when but you will. Whenever desperation is afloat in the air, I'll be there." A woman sat down on the bench next to Topper and he grinned. "Good evening, miss…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Kotonoha was walking around the marketplace, exploring the area while Athena stood close to watch over her. Athena knew Kotonoha was being stressed out by this whole business. Two princesses were actually interested in her man and she didn't like it one bit. They were, to her, thieves that were trying to steal Ryuji-kun away. Homicidal thoughts had crossed her mind but they were squashed by thoughts of Ryuji.

"Lady Kotonoha," said Athena as Kotonoha admired some beautiful hand-made pots at a stall, "Are you not worried about what is going on?"

"A little," nodded Kotonoha, "But I believe in Ryuji-kun and that he will make the right decision."

Athena frowned, "You put too much faith in that male."

"I trust him with all my heart, Athena," said Kotonoha with pure conviction as she went over to another stall.

"I'm sure you do, but I'm afraid he may break your heart," warned Athena.

Kotonoha sighed, "He won't. I believe he will never do anything that will harm me."

"As you wish to believe, My Lady."

"Come on, Athena. I think I saw a stall selling some pieces of jewelry!"

* * *

"So, how are you enjoying our date?" asked Rina. She was hoping to get Ryuji to notice her but he wasn't paying much attention to her.

"So far, it's just so and so," shrugged Ryuji. The truth was that he wasn't having fun at all. He was just thinking about what Kotonoha was doing right now. The three of them had explored the place, had a meal together, and gone to some shops and stalls. The two kings had given them enough gold to spend to their hearts content but Ryuji didn't care to use it.

Suddenly, his watch alerted him, causing the girls to just stare. "What's that?" asked Siera.

"Trouble," Ryuji told them. The compass pointed him towards the Imagin's location and also the sound of several screaming vendors. Rushing towards Ryuji was definitely an Imagin. It resembled a large muscular human with black and white skin, with a whale-like head that had a fin on top, wearing a white furred jacket, leather pants and boots. In its hands was a trident. It let loose a loud bellow that sent the peaceful vendors running scarce. King Eustace's guards tried to attack the beast but it was able to knock them out with each through the use of its blow-hole by shooting concussive jets of water at them. It then trained its eyes on Ryuji. He rolled his eyes. '_Yup, this one's after me_.' He'd learnt through experience to tell how some Imagin saw him as the target.

"Ryuji Hasuma, you will choose Princess Siera!" the Orca Imagin demanded, pointing its trident threateningly at Ryuji. "Or die!"

"Girls, get behind me," said Ryuji as he stood protectively in front of the two girls. He may not want Siera as a fiancée or a wife, but she was still an innocent trapped by an Imagin's manipulation. He responded, "Sorry, but I'm taken."

"Then die!" The Orca Imagin charged, its trident leveled to skewer the Rider.

* * *

A-Kotonoha dodged out of the way from one of the Shark Imagin's spear strikes. Its weapon was a spear with the blade shaped like a shark's fin. "Stand still so I can kill you!" The Shark Imagin had just jumped out of nowhere, brandishing its weapon. It looked human, to an extent, with a fin on top its scale covered head, clad in black bodysuit with fins on the forearms and shoulders. Armored plating hung from its belt like a skirt and strapped to its chest was a chestplate shaped like the jaw bones of a shark. When it grinned, the Shark Imagin showed razor-sharp teeth.

'_I have the feeling one of those princesses made a wish_,' said Kotonoha.

"I agree, my lady," nodded A-Kotonoha as she held her sword. She didn't have any Rider armor but at least she could protect Kotonoha better while driving her body. Still, where was Warren when she needed him.

The Shark Imagin charged again, spear aimed at the Imagin possessed girl when suddenly the spear was caught by its shaft and then a fist slammed into the Shark Imagin's back, knocking it backwards. The spear was now in the new figure's hand.

"Took you long enough," huffed A-Kotonoha.

"The kings talked me into a drinking contest," said Warren. "So, need help?"

"It is in my host's best interest that you do assist us, Warren Smith," said A-Kotonoha with a frown.

"OK," nodded Warren. "And…SHATTER!"

* * *

Ryuji performed a dodge-roll before getting up. He sat on one knee before he curled his fingers. He scraped his nails along the ground, causing blue flames to ignite from his fingertips, before pulling his hair. He threw his hair back and roared as he got to his feet. The blue flames engulfed him and dispersed to reveal his bestial Ifrit Orphenoch form. The princesses gasped and while Siera showed feared, Rina's face showed fascination. '_Definitely something I didn't expect. A nice surprise, though_.'

The Ifrit Orphenoch lunged at the Orca Imagin who'd been taken by surprise. With the ferocity of a feral beast, the Orphenoch slashed at the Imagin, ripping off sparks and sand, as he attacked savagely and without mercy. The Imagin howled in pain from each strikes before being sent flying with a double-footed kick in the chest that sent it crashing to the floor.

The Ifrit Orphenoch got on all fours before opening his mouth. He then unleashed a torrent of ice-cold flames that engulfed the Imagin. The Orca Imagin was unable to dodge and was frozen solid. Popping his neck, the Orphenoch reverted back to human form before snorting, "Weakling."

He turned around to face the girls and asked Siera, "Alright, did you make a wish recently?" But before he could get an answer, he heard the ice cracking. It then exploded, freeing the Orca Imagin who looked mad judging by the steam coming out of its flaring nostrils. "Alright, maybe you're not a weakling."

"You will choose!" the Imagin said forcefully.

"URUSEI!" Ryuji shouted as he swung the belt around his waist and fastened it on. "Henshin!" He pressed the white button and swiped the Dyno Pass over the buckle.

"**TYRANO FORM!"**

**

* * *

**

Wraith stalked toward the Imagin. "Let's make this quick," said Wraith. "It's been a while since I had booze this good and I don't want it to go to waste." The Shark Imagin swung its spear at Wraith, only for it to be swatted away. Wraith then drew his gun and began blasting the Imagin. The Imagin staggered back as each shot hit its mark.

Wraith then swung out his arms, spiked chains shooting out and piercing its shoulders. He then pulled his arms backwards, having the Imagin fly at him. When in range Wraith slammed hit foot into the Imagin's gut before lifting it up and slamming it into the ground.

"Man, you're weak," sighed Wraith. Wraith drew his gun again and pointed it at the Shark Imagin. Dark energy began to gather at the barrel of the gun. "See ya!" shouted the Rider as he fired. The dark energy hit the imagin with enough force to cause it sliding backward, but other than that did no damage.

"Heh, and you called me weak," laughed the Shark Imagin as he charged at Wraith. Wraith merely snapped his fingers and the Shark Imagin stopped in its tracks. It then started to convulse before it imploded.

Wraith explained to A-Kotonoha, "My Singularity Bullet. It creates a mini black hole within the target, causing the target to eventually implode on itself."

"Impressive," the Imagin possessed girl admitted.

* * *

Tyrano Form may not have much in terms of defense, but it had speed and power to make up for the lack of protection. The armor could only take so much damage but at least it gave him the power, speed and ferocity of the King of Dinosaurs. He was wailing on the Orca Imagin, using his bare hands and feet to knock it around like a rag doll. His right leg sliced through the air, connecting with the side of the monster's head before he followed up with a back kick into its midsection, causing it to stagger back in pain. He then charged ahead with punishing jabs into the Orca Imagin's chest. One uppercut sent it staggering again and then Ifrit used a front snap kick to send it crashing into a wall.

"Heh," Ifrit laughed. "I don't even need my weapons."

The Imagin growled and then fired a jet of water using its blow hole. The water went flying at Ifrit but with his superior speed he was able to dodge out of the way from the attack. He jumped up when he got in range before coming crashing down on its head with the heel of his right foot.

Rina and Siera watched from where they were taking cover. Rina smiled in admiration as her hubby-to-be was fighting that creature while Siera looked on in worry since he could get hurt.

The Orca Imagin got its second wind and stabbed Ifrit in the chest, causing sparks to fly. Ifrit withheld the urge to cry out in pain as the Orca Imagin attacked furiously, stabbing the prongs of its trident into Ifrit repeatedly before throwing him over its head to the ground. The Imagin then stood over the Rider and thrust its trident down but Ifrit managed to blur out of the way and the weapon stabbed into the ground instead of steel and flesh.

Ifrit got back to his feet and spread his arms out to the side. The Tyrano-Shoulders slid along his arms and stopped at his fists. The 'jaws' opened and red blades slid out. He crossed his blades in front of him and charged.

The Orca Imagin attacked with its trident but the white Rider spun out of the way and then slashed down with his left sword, slicing the Imagin's weapon in half. He then attacked savagely once his opponent was unarmed and started slashing wildly like he had before in his Orphenoch form. The Imagin wasn't giving the chance to defend itself as Ifrit continued with his savage attack. The Rider had a lot of anger and frustration on his shoulders and he needed a way to vent so he was taking it out on this Imagin who was unlucky enough to catch him on a bad day.

The Tyrano-Katana slid back into its T-Rex head. The head then slid back up Ifrit's left arm and snapped back onto his shoulder as he took out his pass. It was time to put this beast out of its misery. "Time for extinction," Ifrit spoke coldly as he waved the pass in front of his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Ifrit tossed the pass aside as the energy zigzagged from his belt into his Tyrano-Katana. With a burst of incredible speed, Ifrit rushed towards the Imagin and used his famous 'X' slash attack. He slashed the Imagin from its right shoulder to its left hip and then slashed it again from its left shoulder to its right hip. He then used a kick to send the Orca Imagin flying. The X-shaped gash in its chest glowed red and the Imagin let loose a howl of pain before it exploded in a fiery blaze. The Rider's weapon then slid back into the T-Rex head which slid back up to its default position on Ifrit's shoulder.

**

* * *

**

Kenzaki then decided it was time for the final part of his plan. He had taken Neko to the park they'd visited during their first real date. There was a symbolic meaning to it. This was where Kenzaki had saved the girl's life years ago. "Ken-kun, what are we doing here?" asked Neko.

"Well, this is an important place for us. In a way, this is where we first met," said Kenzaki.

"Back when I was a full being…" Neko looked down sadly. "Back when Kat and I shared a body with the…Living Gate."

Kenzaki put his hands in her shoulders. "Back before the Living Gate. Back when you were just a little girl playing with her brother."

"I remember," nodded Neko. "The jealousy awoke something bad in me. He got chosen over me even though I…we were the first born."

Kenzaki cupped her chin and made her look up at him. "But now, to me, you are the most important person in the world."

"So, why are we here, really?" She looked around, and saw they were the only ones there. "Are you going to have your way with me here? Eek!" she shrieked jokingly.

"No nothing like that," denied Kenzaki. "Though the thought is tempting. Neko, we've been together for a long time, haven't we?"

"Two years," the girl nodded. Neither one realized that Kat was hiding in the bushes. She picked up a rock and then tossed it at Kenzaki's head.

Kenzaki discretely **moved** his head out of the way, having sensed the rock coming for his head. "Well, recently I've been thinking…about us and our future together."

Kat tossed a few more rocks "And...OW!" shouted Neko as a rock hit her in the head.

"Shit!" cursed Kat.

"You OK, Neko?" asked Kenzaki.

"Something hit me," said the girl, rubbing her head.

"Hm, that's strange. Maybe we should keep walking then."

"Yes…we should," nodded Neko.

Kat was still watching them as they left. "Mental note, no more rocks," the anti-heroic Rider muttered to herself.

Kenzaki and Neko walked to a secluded area, though Kat is still watching them. "Neko, I have something very important to ask you. Neko…" said Kenzaki.

"What is it?" asked Neko.

Kenzaki pulled a ring out of his jacket pocket and got down on one knee, presenting the ring to Neko. "Neko…will you marry me?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" shrieked Kat as she leapt out of the bushes and tackled Kenzaki to the ground. "Bastard! I won't let you steal my better half away!!!"

"Nee-chan!?" shouted Neko.

"Get off me you lunatic!" barked Kenzaki.

"No way! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" snarled Kat.

"I said GET OFF!!" he growled as he kicked Kat off of him.

Kat stood up and got ready to turn into a Rider. "Hen-"

"STOP!!!" cried Neko.

Kat froze. Only Neko could stop her when she got like this, barely sometimes. "But…Neko-chan…He's no good for you!" shouted Kat.

"It's my choice…and my answer is…No."

Kat, upon hearing that final word, shouted out in joy, "Yes!"

Kenzaki, on the other hand, looked completely devastated. "Neko…can I ask why?"

"I don't think I can be a good wife, yet. I lack training in that field," answered Neko.

"I don't care about that!" shouted Kenzaki. "You could be the worst wife in the world and I wouldn't care! As long as I'm with you that wouldn't matter to me."

"I know, but I can't accept your proposal. I still need to redeem myself further."

Kenzaki's shoulders slumped and his head drooped as his hopes seemed to suddenly come crashing down around him. "…Fine" said Kenzaki as he turned around and began walking away, his depression obvious to the two girls. "I'll…I'll talk to you later. I gotta go clear my head."

"Ken-kun…" said Neko sadly. She hated seeing him like this. It was like he was a different person right now. She could tell that her rejection had completely crushed his spirit. She reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him into a deep kiss, her tongue immediately darting into his mouth. Kat's jaw drop as she watched but her words got caught in her throat. She was sputtering as she watched Neko sucking face with Kenzaki. After about 2 minutes, she pulled away, gasping and licking her lips.

Kenzaki looked at Neko in shock. "OK…what was that for?" he asked.

"Call it an 'engaged to be engaged' kiss," said Neko with a wink.

"I give up!" shouted Kat. "Fine! Do what you want! I don't care! See ya!" She stuck her tongue out at the couple as she ran off to catch a ride on the ChronoLiner. But anyone that knew Kat well enough knew that she had far from given up. No, she had something much bigger planned.

Kenzaki, though looking a little happier, still looked very depressed. "I still need to be alone for a little bit, Neko. I just…need to clear my head for a little bit."

Neko hated seeing him depressed, but decided that this could be taken care of later. "I'll see you at home then," said Neko as she kissed his cheek. "I need some alone time too."

"And don't worry," assured Gekiryuken. "I'll be watching after her."

"Well, at least I know I can trust you, Gekiryuken," said Kenzaki.

"As I trust you, Kenzaki-sama," responded Gekiryuken.

"I'll see you both later," said Kenzaki as he left. He needed some time to think. The GaroLiner had pulled up next to him and released the Machine Garo-Hunter. He mounted the bike, gave Neko a wave, and put on his helmet before driving off. Neko watched him go in silence.

* * *

It didn't take long for news of Ryuji's victory over the Orca Imagin to reach the kings' ears. He'd basically protected the two princesses which just made the kings believe further that Ryuji was the right man for their daughters. Warren's victory was also noted but he insisted he'd just been at the right place at the right time. Ryuji was livid, however, since he knew the two princesses were at fault because they'd made wishes with the Imagin.

"This is bullshit!" Ryuji hissed. He, Loki, and the girls were all back on the DynoLiner after the failed attempt at breaking the engagements. The kings just wouldn't listen to a word he said since they kept drunkenly singing about how perfect he was for their daughters. Ryuji had been in a sour attitude since then. "I try to get out of this situation and instead it gets worse. Just perfect."

"You know, I really don't get what your problem with this is," Rina huffed. "Two hot girls appear and say they want to marry you. They're princesses with the key to taking it easy for the rest of your life. Most guys would be thanking whatever gods they worship for the chance. Instead, you cuss and curse and try to find a way out of it. Just what the hell is so bad about me and Siera that you don't want to at least get to know us?"

"Have you not been listening?" Ryuji growled. "I WANT TO MARRY KOTONOHA! I don't know a single thing about either of you and I am not interested. I am in love with Kotonoha and am going to marry her."

"The reason you aren't interested is because you're not giving us a chance!" Rina growled. "You're allowed to marry three women. Why the hell aren't you even considering it?"

"Because I only want to marry one girl!" Ryuji snapped. "That's how it is with me! One girl is enough for me!"

"Then what if you can't have kids with her?" asked Rina. "Suddenly a second wife is looking pretty good when you want an heir."

"If that happens then Koto-chan and I would just adopt," Ryuji shrugged. "I'm so not going to knock up some random girl just so I can claim the kid is really mine."

"That doesn't make any sense," Rina grumbled.

Siera asked, "Then how can you pass your genes to the next generation? Lawful titles? Property?"

"It's called a Will," Ryuji answered. "Answer your question?"

* * *

Kenzaki sat at the bar, downing yet another drink. '_She said no…Why did she say no?!_' He had spent the past two years working up to that one moment. That one moment when she would say yes and everything would be perfect, even to the point that Kat couldn't mess it up.

But she said no…

He signaled the bartender for another drink. Kenzaki twirled the ring between his fingers. "She said no…" he muttered for the umpteenth time that night. Did she not see them having a future together? Was her entire life focused on her self-imposed mission of redemption? He didn't get it. After two years he thought she would trust him enough to at least let him help on the mission, to let him into her life. Obviously he was wrong.

He felt like this was the end of the road, that no matter what he did their relationship would never progress. He'd never be intimate with Neko because she didn't want to get married, thus their first time could never be "special".

"Hey, buddy…" slurred a drunk as he pointed at Kenzaki. "I don't like you."

"I don't care," said Kenzaki as he downed another drink and signaled for another one. "I'm in a real bad mood so just back off and I won't be forced to smash your face into the bar." The drunk didn't take his advice and threw a fist at Kenzaki. True to his word, Kenzaki dodged the fist and grabbed the back of the guy's head, before slamming it into the bar. He then grabbed his drink and downed it like so many others before signaling for another one. He turned around and saw several of the drunk's buddies standing around him, looking pissed and ready to fight.

"This is gonna be a long night…" muttered Kenzaki.

From a table, a man in a top hat watched as Kenzaki fought the other drunks. He took a sip of his drink and smirked, "Another business opportunity."

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like relationship problems again. Wonder if things will get better?


	22. The Tragedy of Loss

The DynoLiner was thrown violently onto its side as the huge serpent-like Gigandeath hissed victoriously. Gritting his teeth, Ifrit (Mammoth Form) tried to get his train back on track and attack. So far, he wasn't going to be getting any backup anytime soon. Kenzaki had just fallen off the radar a week ago and Neko was depressed. Kat was unusually happy than she should be but the Rider knew she had something to do with what was going on between Kenzaki and Neko. From what he heard from Warren, he'd seen Kenzaki frequenting some bars and getting himself drunk silly. Got into several bar fights, too.

And to top it all off, Rina and Siera were still trying to win Ryuji's heart. It was frustrating, really, with all these nuisances but he had to keep his head in the game.

Righting his train back onto its tracks, the Mammoth trumpeted as it dragged the Tyrano and Tricera behind it, racing towards the Serpent Gigandeath. The Serpent Gigandeath continued to fire energy blasts at the charging prehistoric-themed train but Ifrit was managing to swerve his train out of danger. He then accelerated, allowing the tusks of the Mammoth to pierce the beast. The Serpent Gigandeath released a screech of pain.

"Alright, freeze!" Ifrit commanded. This allowed the Mammoth to use its Trunk Cannon to fire a freezing mist that encased the Gigandeath. The Gigandeath was being held by the tusks and unable to avoid its frozen demise as its entire body slowly became encased in ice. Ifrit cracked his knuckles as the hatch above him opened and he jumped up, standing atop his DynoLiner Mammoth. "Now, to finish it off!" He ran forward and leapt onto the trunk cannon which then sprang him upwards. When he reached the appropriate altitude, he called out, "Gengi! IFRIT RIDER KICK!" His Genki engulfed his body as he dropped down at the Gigandeath with both legs stretched out and his feet aimed at it. He smashed right through its head, exiting out the other side. As soon as he exited, the frozen and brittle monster collapsed and shattered apart into many tiny pieces. Ifrit landed back on his train which was headed for the exit portal. His mission was complete and soon the reward would be added into his account.

He loved being a Rider.

* * *

"**THE TRAGEDY OF LOSS"**

* * *

"Should've known you'd be here," said Ryuji as he entered the bar in the King's Terminal. All he had to do was flash his Dyno Pass at the bouncer and he was allowed inside. Age wasn't an issue since he was a Rider and was considered an adult due to the responsibilities that came with it.

He found Kenzaki, sitting at a table and with a bottle of beer in his hand. He didn't look all too well and judging from the 3 empty bottles, Ryuji knew he was drunk. Ryuji sat down and saw the bottles and grimaced. Ryuji may drink once in a while but never in such excess. "You look like hell."

"Shaddup," Kenzaki slurred. "How the hell did you find me?"

"Okami pointed me in the right direction. He's also tired of your hangovers," Ryuji said. A waitress came and Ryuji made his order. He wanted a cold bottle of Heineken. He took out a box of cigarettes, slid one out and lit it with a lighter before putting it between his lips. Smoking wouldn't kill him because he was an Orphenoch and beer wouldn't make him drunk either. Of course, he wasn't going to tempt fate. He blew out a puff of smoke and asked, "So, mind telling me why you're drinking yourself to death."

"As if you didn't know," glared Kenzaki, "Or would understand."

"Try me," Ryuji challenged as his drink came. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and took a sip of the ice cold beverage.

"I proposed to your sister and she said no," Kenzaki complained. Ryuji already knew that. Right now Neko was staying with Kat. Even if Kat had tried to ruin the proposal, Neko wasn't as upset with her as she was with herself. "And you have three fiancées without even trying."

"I have ONE fiancée," Ryuji corrected. "Those other two don't count. They mean nothing to me."

"Whatever," Kenzaki slurred as he took another swig and then wiped his mouth. "It's all Kat's fault anyway! She's trying to break me and Neko up."

"Well, she doesn't need to work hard to do that," muttered Ryuji.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenzaki demanded.

"You're avoiding Neko-nee because she said 'no' to your proposal. You're breaking her heart," Ryuji explained.

"Well she broke mine first!" Kenzaki snapped. "I take her to dinner, buy her this great ring, and when I take her to a nice romantic spot…she says no when I ask her."

"OK, maybe if you put it that way it's humiliating." Ryuji would probably be just as crushed if Kotonoha had said no to his proposal too but he'd get over it. It wasn't the end of the world. "Did she tell you why?"

"Something about redemption," Kenzaki said drunkenly. "It's been 2 years! I thought she'd gotten over it!"

"Time doesn't heal all wounds," Ryuji commented. "With Sauron back and all it just reminds her of all the terrible things she, Kat and that thing did when they used to share a body. I guess she still feels she can't be redeemed as long as Sauron exists."

"That bitch," Kenzaki spat, referring either to Sauron or Kat. Maybe it was both and with him that was a pretty good possibility. "Screwing with my relationship."

Ryuji rolled his eyes. "You never had much experience with relationships, have you?"

"I'm a bounty hunter. I never had time for a relationship. Way back when, I would just pick up some girl and sleep with her," answered Kenzaki.

"One night stands," Ryuji grimaced. Personally, Ryuji would never do such a thing. If he did have sex with a girl it'd be Kotonoha and only Kotonoha.

"And then I meet the girl of my dreams, the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with…and she turns me down," Kenzaki slumped over.

"Well, to be fair, you did try to kill her when you met," Ryuji reminded.

"I've gotten enough shit about that from Kat," growled Kenzaki. "Don't need that from you!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ryuji sighed, "But if it makes you feel any better, almost every member of my family has issues and excess baggage. You'll fit right in."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," grumbled Kenzaki with a snort. "Too bad Neko obviously doesn't want me in your family."

Ryuji added, "But, well, you need to get over it and go talk to her. She's waiting for you and still in love with you."

"I'll talk with her when I'm good and ready," Kenzaki said as he belched.

"You better," Ryuji frowned. "If not then I'm gonna stage one heck of an intervention." He grabbed the bottle and down its entire content before letting out a pleased burp. He then put out his cigarette in the ashtray before walking out of the bar. He gave Kenzaki one last look before walking out.

* * *

Kotonoha was in the bathroom, wearing her school uniform. In her hands was a home pregnancy test. She watched in anticipation as the indicator started to change color.

For a week now Kotonoha had been throwing up as well as craving strange foods. Ryuji was sure she needed to see a doctor but she kept snapping at him. When she looked up all the symptoms on the internet, she decided to go to the closest drug store and buy this thing she was now holding in her hand.

Her eyes widened as she saw the indicator turn a shade of blue, confirming her fears. "Positive. It's positive."

She heard a voice in her head, '_Congratulations, Lady Kotonoha. You're pregnant_.'

"Hey, Koto-chan!" Ryuji called causing Kotonoha to jump. "We're going to be late."

"Hai!" Kotonoha tossed the test into the waste basket and got out of the bathroom quickly. She got out of the bathroom and ran down the stairs to meet up with her boyfriend at the door.

"What were you doing in there?" asked Ryuji as he opened the door.

"Oh, just last minute business!" Kotonoha answered.

"OK," Ryuji accepted. "Let's go," said Ryuji.

"Don't forget your lunch!" Loki said as he held up three bentos for Kokoro, Ryuji and Kotonoha. "I made something special for each of you."

"Must be hard, Loki," said Kotonoha.

"Oh, it's no trouble," smiled Loki. "I live to serve."

"I enjoy Loki's cooking," beamed Kokoro.

"Thank you," Loki's smile widened.

"Enough with the mushy stuff and let's go already," said Ryuji.

Kokoro decided to walk to school with friends today as Ryuji and Kotonoha walked towards the station. They didn't need to use the DynoLiner to get to school all the time. But, then again…

"Good morning, darling!" Rina waved as she exited her own home to catch Ryuji and Kotonoha coming out from theirs. Rina and Siera had gotten a place all to themselves and were Ryuji and Kotonoha's neighbors, much to the human girl's displeasure. Well, she didn't mind Siera; she kind of reminded Kotonoha of herself. It was Rina that made Kotonoha want to slice her throat open. The girl was just too forward and tried to seduce Ryuji whenever she had the chance. Ryuji paid her seduction no mind and greeted her politely. He'd gotten used to both princesses.

"Good morning, Rina," Ryuji greeted.

"Good morning, Ryuji," smiled Siera shyly.

"Likewise."

"Ohayo, Rina-san, Siera-san," Kotonoha greeted politely as she moved in closer to Ryuji while gripping his hand tightly.

"Why don't we walk to school together?" suggested Siera.

"The more the merrier," smirked Rina.

"Whatever," Ryuji rolled his eyes.

'_Just keep your distance, bitch!_' Kotonoha yelled mentally as she glared at the demon girl.

It'd been several days since Rina and Siera had enrolled in Sakakino High as transfer students. Their demonic and godly natures were hidden under their human disguises. Still, it didn't mean they didn't get some attention.

* * *

Once the four arrived at the gate, Ryuji's day began as usual.

"RYUJI HASUMA!" a generic student with a bullhorn called, wearing an armband with the letters KLLA on his right arm. "YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF KOTONOHA KATSURA'S LOVE FOR YOU ARE CHEATING ON HER!"

"And so it begins," muttered Ryuji.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" another generic student wearing an armband with the letters SSSS called out through a bullhorn. He was the head of the new 'Suki-Suki Siera Society'. They were Siera's fans. They even had buttons with her face on them. "FOR YOU ALREADY POSSESS THE LOVE OF KOTONOHA BUT NOW SEEK THE LOVE OF SIERA!"

"AND ALSO RINA!" another generic student shouted wearing a headband with the letters LLRB. This was the third new group dubbed the "Lovely-Lovely Rina Brigade". "TO HAVE THREE WOMEN WITH YOU MAKES YOU THE ENEMY!"

Ryuji picked his ears as he continued to listen to all this rubbish while ignoring it as well. He could see the gang of students behind the three heads of the fanclubs, with each of them holding a myriad of weapons. The members came from various clubs like the hockey team, baseball team, the rugby team and also a paintball club.

"Girls," said Ryuji. "You better get to class and tell Warren I'm going to be late."

"Will you be alright?" asked Siera.

"You should save your concern for them," said Ryuji as he jabbed a finger at the KLLA, SSSS, and LLRB.

"Personally," Rina said as she flipped her hair. "I find the attention flattering."

"You would," muttered Kotonoha.

"ATTACK!!!" the three group leaders commanded and the horde charged straight for Ryuji as the girls ran straight for the building.

"Now for some exercise!!!" roared Ryuji as he charged back at the horde of idiots.

* * *

"You're late," said Warren as Ryuji entered the class.

"Sorry, Sensei," Ryuji apologized. "But I was held up by something. Oh, and you might wanna call some ambulances. Those guys outside are gonna need it."

Everyone in the building had seen Ryuji take on the three groups without so much as breaking a sweat. There were about 80 unconscious bodies in front of the building, beaten violently.

"Just take your seat," frowned Warren and Ryuji nodded before going to where he sat next to Kotonoha. "Now, where was I?"

* * *

Ryuji was known as the strongest kid in school and the way he'd beaten up 80 people in 10 minutes was no exaggeration. At lunch, Kat gave him a slap on the back for what he did.

"I wish those idiots would come after me!" said Kat merrily.

"You could try helping," suggested Ryuji.

"Maybe some other time," Kat shrugged.

"So, how's Neko-nee doing?" asked Ryuji. Neko was absent today too.

Kat scowled. Neko was staying with her but was still a little depressed over what'd happened at the park. She'd said no to Kenzaki and now Kat wasn't sure if she should be happy or not. It was confusing and giving her a headache. "She cries in her sleep," Kat answered simply.

"This is tearing her up as bad as it is Kenzaki," frowned Ryuji.

'_I don't get what she can see in him_,' Kat wondered seriously. '_I mean he tried to put a bullet in her head_.' "How is Kenny, anyway?"

"Last time I saw him he was in a bar in the King's Terminal," answered Ryuji. "He looked like shit."

'_Sometimes he smells like it too_,' added Kat cruelly in her mind. "Well, sure hope he comes back. For some strange reason he makes Neko happy."

"It's called love," Ryuji clarified.

"I don't get it. She can do so much better than him," Kat crossed her arms.

'_And you never will_,' Ryuji thought. Luckily for him, Kat couldn't read his thoughts. His Orphenoch mind had strong shields.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kotonoha was in the bathroom and thinking back to the pregnancy test. She needed someone she could trust to confide in. She needed someone who wouldn't blab this and turn it into gossip. She needed someone who wouldn't make a big deal out of this.

* * *

"Sekai, you're Koto-chan's best friend, right?" Ryuji asked Sekai who was with Makoto and having lunch with him. Makoto took one glance at Ryuji and paled. Everything had seen the result of him fighting the three fanclubs and getting out of the skirmish unscathed. "Have you noticed anything weird?"

"Not what I know of," Sekai shook her head. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, she keeps glancing at me before looking away," answered Ryuji. "And when I ask her what's wrong, she insists it's nothing but I can tell she's lying." He looked a little upset judging from the frown. "Why would she lie to me?"

Makoto butted in, "Maybe she's hiding a surprise from you?"

Ryuji glared, "Excuse me, but your girlfriend and I are having a private conversation. You're not part of it."

"Right," Makoto gulped. Even after all this time, Ryuji still didn't like him and didn't bother to hide it. "Sorry. Please, continue."

"Give her time," advised Sekai.

"I know but it's like she doesn't trust me," Ryuji sighed. "We don't keep secrets from each other no more."

"If it's important then she'll tell you," Sekai reminded. "In the meantime give her some space. Maybe it's not as bad as you think."

"Yeah, maybe." Ryuji wasn't so sure, though.

"So, out of curiosity, how are Rina and Siera?" asked Sekai.

"Siera's alright. She's nice and polite. It's Rina who's the pain in the butt," complained Ryuji.

"Lots of guys would want to have three girls in love with them," Sekai pointed out while giving Makoto a glance.

"What?" Makoto spoke up.

"Urusei, teme," Ryuji growled. He didn't want any lip from Makoto. Makoto gulped. He answered Sekai, "Sorry, but I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. I'm a one-woman-man. Always have been, and always will be."

"Well, in that case, you better end this thing soon or else it'll get bad and really haunt you."

"Don't I know it," agreed Ryuji.

* * *

"I'm surprised you decided to drop by and visit," said Kat as she served Kotonoha some cold milk to drink. After school, Kotonoha had gone to Kat's apartment.

"I just thought it'd be nice to visit Ryuji-kun's sister," said Kotonoha as she tried to make herself comfortable.

"Uh huh." Kat didn't believe her. "Now pull the other leg. Nobody visits me without a reason." The few times Kenzaki had set foot into the apartment were because of Neko's coaxing. "So, talk." Kat sat down and crossed her arms. "And don't worry. Neko,Cathy, Bobby and Rose aren't here. They went out for a bit so it's just the two of us."

Kotonoha took in a deep breath of air. "Well, you see…"

Kat's eyes went wide once Kotonoha finished with, "And I don't know what to say to him."

"Wait," Kat held up a hand. "Back up. You took a home pregnancy test and got a positive?" Kotonoha nodded. "Damn." Kat ran a hand through her hair in disbelief. "He knocked you up." She grinned. "Looks like he is a man after all."

"So, what should I do?" Kotonoha asked. "I need advice."

"You do know that you're asking me, the evil twin?" Kat pointed to herself. "All I can say is tell him now because it won't be easy to hide it for long." She pointed at Kotonoha's stomach and the girl blushed. "If you do want my advice, go and ask Neko."

* * *

"She's still not home yet?" asked Ryuji as he came back to the Katsura residence. Loki was reading a magazine while Kokoro was doing her homework in the living room.

"She's at her part time job at the Radish," reminded Loki. Kotonoha was still a waitress there.

"Oh, I forgot," nodded Ryuji. She was still at that place, getting ogled at, and maybe…No, he promised not to attack the customers. One of them threatened to sue even. "I'm just worried."

"Don't worry, Ryuji-niichan," said Kokoro reassuringly. "I'm sure Onee-chan will be fine. She has Athena-neechan."

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Neko blinked as she sat across from Kotonoha in the Radish. Kotonoha had told her everything. "You asked Kat-neechan for advice first?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," said Kotonoha sheepishly.

"Well, if you want my advice, you should tell Ryuji-chan quick," said Neko. "You won't be able to hide this forever."

"That's what Kat-san said but I'm not sure how to break the news," Kotonoha looked down to her stomach and rubbed her hand up and down along the surface.

"Trust me when I say he won't be mad. He'd be shocked, but not mad," Neko smiled reassuringly. "I have a feeling that he's been wanting a family himself too."

"Arigatou, Neko-san," Kotonoha smiled.

"Anything for my future sister-in-law," Neko smiled back. "So…can I order now?"

"Oh, yes," nodded Kotonoha as she stood up. "What would you like?"

Kotonoha noted that Neko was depressed. She'd heard about Kenzaki's proposal and was confused as to why Neko had declined. Ryuji had told her that Neko still had some personal demons of her own to face before she could even think of settling down.

* * *

Though Neko seemed happy, she was actually doing a good job at hiding her depression. She was staying at Kat's for a little bit, skipping school, because she just didn't feel like going there and facing anybody. She may end up running into Kenzaki which was impossible since he was getting himself drunk but she couldn't risk it. She'd broken his heart by declining the proposal.

"Maybe I should've said yes," said Neko as she stopped at the door. She shook her head, "He deserves better than me. He doesn't need a girl who reminds him of a demon as a wife. It'll just end badly." Neko's pacifistic thoughts were just adding fuel to her depressing fire. She loved Kenzaki and only wanted what was best for him but was starting to regret her decision. She'd even called his cell phone but had chickened out at the last second and hung up. Hearing his voice would just make matters worse.

"Ojou-sama, you miss him, don't you?" asked Gekiryuken. Neko was starting to wipe the tears forming in her eyes. She didn't answer but her actions spoke louder than words. She slid the key into the lock, gave it a twist, before pulling open the door and entering the apartment. Today had been emotionally exhausting for her.

* * *

"Ryuji-kun, I'm pregnant," said Kotonoha as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. As soon as she'd gotten home, she went up to her room to practice her speech. She shook her head, "No, too direct." She was practicing how to break the news. "Ryuji-kun, we've been together for a long time and now that we're engaged, there's something you need to know…" Once again she shook her head. "Too long. I might as well jump up to him and shout, 'Hey, Ryuji-kun, I'm having a baby'!"

**THUD!**

Kotonoha heard the sound and spun around to see Ryuji had fainted at the entrance of her room. She blinked. "Well…that was easy." She then noted how his eyes looked blank and grew worried.

* * *

"Ryuji-kun, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha tried to shake him awake.

"Let me," volunteered Athena before throwing a glass full of water in Ryuji's face. The Rider sputtered as his eyes opened.

"What the hell!?" he cried out.

"Ryuji-kun, you're awake!" Kotonoha smiled.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Ryuji seemed relieved. "Koto-chan, I had this bad dream. I was walking by your door and…"

"I said I was pregnant," she finished.

Ryuji's eyes widened in horror before he fainted dead away.

"This is going to be a long day," Athena muttered as Kotonoha tried to reawaken her fiancé.

* * *

Kat laughed as Neko giggled, the twins finding Kotonoha's story hilarious. She'd gone to Ryuji's sisters for some more advice.

"He fainted!?" Neko giggled.

"For real!?" Kat laughed out loud. Her sides were ready to burst.

"I was practicing in front of the mirror when he walked past my room and heard me," Kotonoha blushed. "You think he'll remember?"

"You'll be lucky if he thinks it was a dream," said Kat, wiping a tear from her eye.

"He did," Kotonoha answered and Kat just laughed harder.

"My goodness; Ryuji Hasuma, biggest thug in Sakakino High history, fainting. Now that's gonna be a big story."

"Well, here's hoping you two can handle a baby," said Neko as she held up a glass of juice. "Because you're both going to need a lot of help."

"I know," agreed Kotonoha. She needed help and advice on how to take care of a baby. Then she was going to have to break the news to her parents. She could only imagine their reaction. Kokoro had been fine with it. Actually, she'd been cheering about the new baby like Eros, but their parents weren't going to be happy. Her father may even forbid her from seeing Ryuji. However, there was no need to think of such things. Kotonoha just needed some time to think and someone to ask for parenting advice.

* * *

"You fainted!?" laughed Warren after Ryuji explained the situation to him. "Well, there goes your tough guy image." They were both in a café located in the King's Terminal

"Warren, I need some advice," said Ryuji, still slightly in shock from the news.

"OK, well…this is what I discovered when Raven was pregnant with Tessa and Alex. Women have settings when they're pregnant. First, you have the anger stetting. It's the worst one and also the most frequent. Then you have the tender setting. That one's OK. Basically she'll just want to be near you and be held by you. But be careful with what you say and do. The wrong thing puts her right back into the anger setting. Then you have the emotional setting. Basically, everything she sees will remind her of something sad so you have to be there for her. Again, doing the wrong thing goes right back to anger."

"Any suggestions on how to deal with the anger setting?" asked Ryuji.

"Just be glad Kotonoha doesn't have super powers…or large, heavy books," said Warren, wincing at the memory.

* * *

"Thank you for having me," said Kotonoha as she sat in the Smith family's living room.

"Herbal tea?" offered Rachel. "It's very soothing."

"Thank you," Kotonoha took the offered cup. "I came to you because you're a parent and I was hoping you could give me some advice."

"Well, let's just say my pregnancy wasn't exactly comfortable," stated Rachel. "But, after having Tessa and Alex, everything felt…different."

"Different how?" asked Kotonoha.

"Before Warren, I was almost shut off from the world. But after being with him, and having his kids, I felt…lighter is the only way I can describe it. I would do anything I can to make sure they have the best life possible, and so would Warren. Trust me when I say that I have the feeling that Ryuji will be a great father."

"I believe it too. I know my Ryuji-kun will protect me and this baby. He has good instincts too so I have no doubt he'll be a great father," said Kotonoha.

"Besides, my kids seem to enjoy being around their 'Uncle Ryuji'," said Rachel.

"He's good with children. Kokoro-chan's also looking forward to meeting her future niece or nephew," nodded Kotonoha.

"Your family will play a major part in this child's life," said Rachel. "Because of Warren's 'family', I'm a little afraid of how my children will turn out. Knowing how much they idolize him, they'll probably end up following his line of work."

"I have the same worries," sighed Kotonoha. "Ryuji-kun's a hero so he has to fight to protect this world. I could try and hide this from my child as they grow up but they'll find out and may want to take over the 'family business'. I'm not sure if they'll be born with powers or not."

"Warren and I are both afraid of that happening for our kids. Warren never contacted his sister until he was 17 because he wanted her to live a normal life. We both want the same for our kids but they probably will develop powers one day," said Rachel.

"I wonder if my child will be like their father. Would they develop his ice powers, or gain his fighting skills. Or…" Ryuji had told her Orphenochs gained their powers after death. She didn't want that to happen.

Rachel knew where Kotonoha was coming from. She and Warren are both terrified at the thought of Tessa and Alex falling victim to their more demonic heritage.

"So, are you thinking of names yet?" asked Teresa.

"If it's a girl, it'll be Kohana. If it's a boy, it'll be Ryuta," said Kotonoha.

Rachel said, "You may end up with both. Warren tells me that Ryuji's family has a history of giving birth to twins or more." The only reason Tessa and Alex were twins was because of the same reason.

Kotonoha smiled, "Twins, huh? I like the sound of that. But I'm also worried about my own parents."

"I'm sorry but I can't help you there. Warren's family was never an issue, while my mother didn't know about Tessa and Alex until after they were born," said Rachel.

"Thanks anyway for the advice," thanked Kotonoha. "You've been very helpful. Goodness, when my stomach gets big, the other students at school are going to freak out."

Rachel sighed, remembering when she had a big belly during her pregnancy. "You get used to it."

* * *

"You know your orders," said Nanimo to his assassin. It was an Imagin that looked like a blue humanoid wearing emerald armor with a golden trim and a green crown on its head. It had a bird-like face with a blue visor covering its eyes. Hanging down its back like a cape were peacock feathers.

"I am to kill Ryuji Hasuma, also known as Kamen Rider Ifrit," the Peacock Imagin repeated the orders Nanimo had given it.

Nanimo, while observing Kenzaki, was also observing Ryuji. The young Rider had broken out of his control and was getting stronger. He was slowly turning into a huge threat to his plans. Still, he enjoyed watching how Kenzaki was suffering right now. If he could still feel emotions, he'd be laughing at his brother's plight, especially when he'd found out the cause. His damned brother, the jilted lover.

The Peacock Imagin stepped backwards and vanished into the darkness. It was ready to carry out its mission.

* * *

It didn't take very long for both Ryuji and Kotonoha to accept the fact that she was indeed pregnant and that they were going to have a baby pretty soon. After asking for advice from close friends who had experience in parenting, both Ryuji and Kotonoha had sat down to talk about it over dinner, alone, in the King's Terminal.

Kotonoha had been afraid at first. What would her parents say? What would the school say? She didn't know the answers to those questions. However, the question of whether or not she would keep the baby was easy enough to answer. One word: Yes. She was not going to get rid of this baby. Ryuji agreed with her and promised to be by her side. They would tell her parents…eventually.

Ryuji would tell his parents eventually too. He knew his mother would be overly excited over the idea of grandchildren. She adored children.

Several days later, Sunday came by and both Kotonoha and Ryuji were walking, hand in hand, in the park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and since it was summer, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. Also, because it was Sunday, that meant that neither of them would need to face the stupid KLLA, SSSS and LLRB. They probably took day offs too…

"Ryuji Hasuma! I am a member of the KLLA and I order you to-"

**POW!**

Well…maybe not all of them but at least it was a nice and quiet Sunday afternoon.

The two had spent the entire day together. They'd gone for ice cream, had lunch at a café, and went shopping for baby clothes. The only thing they argued about were the cute little clothes Kotonoha wanted to dress her child in. Ryuji was hoping for a boy, or at least raise his daughter to be a tomboy. He didn't have anything against girls, really, but he would like a boy first, then a girl.

They'd discussed their plans for the future while Loki and Athena interjected in their minds. Loki appointed himself to be the child's godfather while Athena herself wanted the duty of protecting and guarding the child. Both Ryuji and Kotonoha had doubts about that but they couldn't find any reason to decline both generous offers. Loki and Athena could be trusted.

While in the park, Kotonoha and Ryuji sat on a bench together. "So, if it's a girl we'll call it Kohana, right?" asked Kotonoha hopefully.

"And Ryuta if it's a boy?" added Ryuji.

"Em," Kotonoha nodded. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and snuggled against his arm. He removed his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her shoulders so she could lean against his chest. She wore a lovely red sundress while he wore a black t-shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers.

The couple watched as a mother pushed a stroller along which carried a cute little baby. Kotonoha actually imagined herself as the mother with Ryuji by her side. Then, she saw a family at the playground. A father and a mother were watching their children play as Kotonoha had a warm smile and sighed as he continued to watch.

Earlier, when Ryuji had heard the news, he'd pretty much freaked out. It wasn't about the kid but it was more about him. Could he be a good father and role-model for the kid? He wasn't exactly stable. He had a bad temper, was violent, cursed and loved to fight. As much as he wanted his child to be tough and not let people push them around, he also wanted his son to not pick fights for the sake of fighting and only fighting when they needed to…or when someone annoyed them.

Then there was the issue of providing for his family. Ryuji didn't exactly have many skills save for his martial arts skills. Could he open a dojo and make money? What if it flopped? It would be worse still if he ended up in debt. Sure, his and Kotonoha's families were wealthy, but he wanted to stand on his own two feet. Even with the rewards he got from killing Imagin, it wouldn't be enough to provide for a family for the long run.

He then looked over to his fiancée and watched as she rubbed a hand up and down her tummy. "Ours…" she murmured.

For some strange reason seeing her so content had just blown all of his worries away and calmed him down. He could do this! He could be a father! He could be a good husband!

"Koto-chan, when do you want to get married?" he asked. "With the baby coming along and all, maybe we should do it early."

"I was hoping we could get married on the anniversary of the day we met," Kotonoha said, "Or the anniversary of when you saved my life, or the anniversary of our first kiss."

Ryuji smiled. He remembered those dates. Those would be so perfect. "How about Christmas? The anniversary of when we first made love?" Ryuji suggested.

"Oh…" Kotonoha flushed and giggled.

"We can have it in the hotel, a western ceremony, and invite all our friends," he said to her.

"They'll be so surprised," said Kotonoha.

"Yes, pretty much," agreed Ryuji. "We can have Ant perform the ceremony."

"Can he do that?" asked Kotonoha.

"As far as I know he has the authority," Ryuji shrugged. "Kokoro can also be the ring bearer."

"She would look so cute in her dress," Kotonoha beamed.

"Not sure about whom I'm going to choose to be my best man, though," Ryuji wondered.

"We should get prepared for this," said Kotonoha hurriedly.

"I agree. Why wait? Why don't we just go and get registered as a married couple and get a license right now?"

"You mean it?"

"I guess."

"You're so sweet!" She hugged him tight.

"Anything for you, Ore no Tenshi."

"Watashi no Senshi," she added.

Of course, the happy moment was ruined when Ryuji's watch beeped.

* * *

The Peacock Imagin had been following and spying on the pair all day. Its orders were to kill and destroy the Rider, eliminating him completely. The Peacock Imagin decided to be discrete about it and had followed the couple all around town.

It was disgusted. Ryuji was definitely how it'd pictured the Rider to be. He was being so lovey-dovey with his girl that it nearly made the Peacock Imagin throw up. How could the Rider degrade himself in such a way, talking of sweet and cute things like weddings and babies? It just made the Imagin's skin crawl.

Now it was watching them sitting on a bench, lightly flirting with each other. It was time to strike.

* * *

"Watch out!" Ryuji shouted as he grabbed Kotonoha in his arms and leapt off the bench right before several energy shots shot at them and blew up the bench. The rest of the people, upon witnessing this, were shocked and then fled in terror once the perpetrator revealed itself.

"Imagin!" growled Ryuji as he got a good look at the Peacock Imagin. It had its tail feathers spread out like wings behind its back and the 'eyes' were glowing.

"Kamen Rider Ifrit!" the Peacock Imagin proclaimed. "You die right here!"

"Koto-chan, take cover! Hurry!" Ryuji ordered and the girl nodded. Before she ran away, she gave her fiancé a quick kiss before running off.

Several more energy shots flew at Ryuji and he rolled out of the way. He kept dodging the shots being fired by the Peacock Imagin's tail feathers. "Stand still!" the Peacock Imagin growled.

"Hah! I'm not as dumb as you look!" Ryuji laughed. He took out his belt and jumped high into the air. The Peacock Imagin watched as he strapped on the device and fastened it around his waist before shouting out, "Henshin!" He pressed the blue button, releasing a bellow, before swiping his pass over the belt buckle.

"**TRICERA FORM!**"

The blue armor formed over his body as the visor flashed, signifying the finished change. He landed on his feet and stood up straight. He cracked his knuckles before he said, "You, it's time for your extinction."

"It's your execution, you mean!" the Peacock Imagin corrected as it fired its energy shots at Ifrit. The Rider calmly walked towards the Imagin as the shots either missed him or bounced off his armor. The Tricera Form armor may lack the same power as the other forms, but it had a high defense rating. "Nani!?"

"My turn," said Ifrit as the triceratops head on his left shoulder slid down along his arm before attaching itself to his fist. He then aimed it at the Imagin. The jaw of the head opened up to reveal double gun barrels.

Ifrit fired upon the Peacock Imagin using the Tricera-Buster. This weapon actually compensated for the lack of power this form had. Each shot collided with the Peacock Imagin with the force of a cannon shell. The Imagin howled out in pain as the shots kept on bombarding it. It wouldn't be too long now. It was then on its back from a powerful close ranged shot and now Ifrit stood over the Imagin with his Tricera-Buster aimed at its head.

"Any last words, teme?" Kamen Rider Ifrit questioned.

Instead of fearfully, begging for its life, the Imagin said, "Yes. You don't have backup, do you?"

Ifrit quirked an eyebrow but suddenly his armor exploded in sparks. He was sent flying backwards as sparks continued to erupt from his armor.

The Peacock Imagin got back to its feet as six Ninja Imagin came to its aid, all holding blowpipes which they were using to attack Ifrit. The ammunition they were using were needles that had small explosives on them. In small quantities, they only stung but in high quantities they were painful.

"DIE!" the Peacock Imagin shouted as it fired destructive shots from its tails upon Ifrit and the Rider howled in pain.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha gasped. Sand poured out from her body and reformed into her Imagin partner. "Athena!"

Athena drew her sword and said, "Let me assist your mate!" before charging towards the battle, letting out her signature battlecry.

Sand also shot out from Ifrit's body and slammed into the Ninja Imagin before reforming into Loki. "Ryuji," the loyal Imagin said as he helped Ifrit up. "Are you okay?"

"You're late," Ifrit growled.

"Sorry," Loki apologized.

"Stop apologizing and help the Amazon!" ordered Ifrit.

"OK!" Loki obeyed as his hands ignited with flames. He and Athena joined forces to fight the Ninja Imagin.

The Peacock Imagin shouted out as it attacked Ifrit who dodged each of its strikes before countering with his own blows, punching it in the stomach, chest and face. "My beak!" the Peacock Imagin yelled.

"It's good look for you," said Ifrit.

The Peacock Imagin's eyes narrowed but then it caught sight of Kotonoha in her hiding place. With a smirk, he aimed its attack. Ifrit took notice of where its eyes were aiming at and quickly ran towards where Kotonoha was. However, the shots had been fired and he wasn't fast enough, unless…He quickly pressed the white button, unleashing a savage roar and swiping the Dyno Pass over the buckle.

"**TYRANO FORM!**"

The blue Tricera Form armor was quickly replaced by the white Tyrano Form armor. Ifrit's speed increased and he was able to outrun the shots and intercept them…with his own body.

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggghhhhh!!!" Ifrit screamed as the shots collided with his body, causing the armor to erupt in sparks. Once the shots had ceased, he dropped to his knees, his armor smoking.

"Ryuji-kun!" yelled out Kotonoha as she rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he groaned. "Now, go, get out of here!"

The Peacock Imagin was approaching the two and ready to finish them off. Kotonoha didn't leave. Instead she stood up and spread her arms out in front of Ifrit, facing the Imagin with her back facing the Rider. "Koto-chan! Run!"

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," said Kotonoha.

"Don't be stupid! You'll be killed! What about our baby!?" shouted Ifrit.

Kotonoha froze. '_The baby!_'

She didn't move out of the way, instead she was grabbed by the throat and lifted off her feet. Athena and Loki couldn't get to her in time since the Ninja Imagin were keeping them busy.

"A baby, huh?" the Peacock Imagin smirked. "Interesting…"

"Let her go," groaned Ifrit as he struggled to his feet.

"Oh, I will…" the Peacock Imagin said. "But first…" it drew back its fist, "A present," and slammed it into Kotonoha's stomach hard. Kotonoha's eyes widened as she let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain before the Imagin let her go to drop onto the floor. She held onto her battered stomach, eyes screwed shut in pain.

"NO!!!" Ifrit roared in outrage. He fired an ice blast at the Imagin responsible for harming his beloved Kotonoha. However, he missed.

"Bye bye!" the Imagin waved before it took off into the air. The Ninja Imagin then all vanished with puffs of smoke.

"Kotonoha!!!" Ifrit yelled as he allowed his armor to vanish before rushing to his fiancée. He knelt down and cradled her in his arms.

"Ryuji-kun…" she moaned in pain. "It hurts!"

"I'm going to get you to the hospital!" Ryuji told her. He heard his DynoLiner approaching, as if it'd sensed his distress, and it appeared out of a portal. He entered his vehicle and it raced off to the closest hospital.

* * *

Ryuji was in the hospital's lobby, waiting for any news on Kotonoha's condition. She'd gotten hurt in the middle of an Imagin attack. He just hoped nothing happened to her or the baby. A doctor came out and Ryuji recognized him to be the one that was looking after Kotonoha. The Rider approached him, hoping for the best but then he saw the grim look on the physician's face.

"Doctor, is my fiancée alright?" Ryuji asked.

"Oh, she's going to be alright," the doctor told Ryuji.

"And the baby?" Ryuji asked again and he noted the sad frown on the doctor's face. "Please, is the baby alright?"

"Sit down, son," the doctor said and Ryuji did as told, not wanting to make a scene. "Unfortunately, we couldn't save the baby. She had a miscarriage." Ryuji's heart broke when he heard the news. There was no telling how Kotonoha would react. "I'm sorry. This must be hard for you."

"Can I go see her?" asked Ryuji.

"Yes, you may," the doctor answered.

"Does she know about the miscarriage?" The doctor nodded. "I see."

"She needs someone in her time of need," the doctor said. "Go and comfort her."

"Don't worry. I will."

* * *

Once he entered the hospital ward, he could see Kotonoha staring blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes were lifeless. It would appear she'd taken the news pretty hard and had lost her will to live. Ryuji clenched his fists. The Imagin could wait. Right now his beloved needed him. "Koto-chan, I'm here." She turned to see him enter.

"Ryuji-kun," she gave a weak smile as she sat up. "The baby…it's…"

"It's gone," Ryuji finished, painfully. "I know. The doctor told me."

The life slowly returned to her eyes as she recalled what had happened. Her...their baby was gone. The life she and Ryuji had created was gone. She then screwed her eyes shut and sobbed, gripping the sheets. "My baby…"

Ryuji walked over to her and gently embraced her. He rubbed her back, up and down. "It hurts, I know…" he told her honestly. There were no words he knew that could comfort his distraught fiancée. "But we'll get through this, together. I'm not leaving your side until you're all better."

"Our baby's gone…" She cried into his shirt. "It's gone."

"I know. I know." Ryuji did her best to console her.

* * *

"Was this how you felt when you lost yours?" asked Ryuji as Warren came to see how he was doing. Ryuji was leaning against the wall in the hallway while Kotonoha was resting in the room. She'd cried herself to sleep.

"Do you feel like hitting something, hoping that it will fix everything?" asked Warren. Ryuji nodded. "That's exactly how I felt. But you're lucky. You don't have to face this alone."

"I know," said Ryuji. "I just wish I could help her forget her pain."

"She can't though," said Warren. "Just forgetting would only make her lose touch. She needs you there, to hold her and help her through this."

"I know she needs me, but I also need her to recover. I think I know a way to help her forget all this," said Ryuji as he took out his SB-Cell.

Warren quickly grabbed it from him. "I can't let you do that. She needs you, Ryuji, not to forget what happened. Remember, if you ever need someone to talk too, I'm always here."

Ryuji snatched the phone back. "I know I shouldn't do it, but I can't bear to watch her suffer. She needs to move on and forgetting this is the only way I know how."

Warren, again, took the phone back, this time crushing it. "You can't do that!" he snapped. "Is that how you're going to solve all the problems you two go through? Just wipe her mind?"

"She's in pain!" cried Ryuji. "I can feel it when I look into her eyes! She's too fragile. This…this is breaking her. I can't watch her break down on me. I just can't."

"Then go stay with her. She needs you, not a blank mind."

"OK, but I'm still planning to erase her memories as a last resort."

"That won't be necessary. Like I said, you have people who know what you're going through to support you."

"Arigatou, sempai," said Ryuji.

* * *

Warren knocked on the door before entering Kotonoha's room. "Hi Kotonoha, how are you doing?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but in this kind of situation, there wasn't much else to say.

"How do you think I'm doing?" she asked, venom in her voice.

"I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone. I know what you're going through."

"How could you possibly understand!?" she shouted.

"Because this same thing happened to me when I was 15!" snapped Warren. "My girlfriend had a stillborn birth and then she died! So don't you dare say I don't understand!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry," said Kotonoha as she began sobbing.

"It's fine," said Warren. "I'm sorry I snapped at you like that." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "You're not alone, Kotonoha. If you or Ryuji need anything, I'll be there for you. You don't have to face this alone. You've got friends to help you both through this."

* * *

"Katsura," said Rina gingerly as she entered the ward with Siera. Ryuji had fallen asleep and slumped over in his seat, his head on the bed. "Aw…how cute."

Kotonoha glared at the two princesses venomously. "What do you want?"

"We came to visit," said Siera as she walked over with a bouquet of flowers. "Here, these are for you."

Though the two were her rivals, Kotonoha accepted the flower anyway. "So, why are you here?"

"We heard from Warren-sensei that you…" Siera bit her lower lip. "And I'm sorry."

Kotonoha was surprised. Rina was actually being sympathetic. "Thank you."

"I know how you feel, really," admitted Rina. "Well, I can at least understand. When my mother gave birth to me, I had a twin but she was stillborn." Rina shook her head. "What happened to you was horrible. No mother should have their child die before they can hold them."

"Thank you," Kotonoha smiled slightly, glad for the emotional support. "Can you two keep this a secret from the school**?**"

"You can count on it," smiled Rina. "But, once you get out of here, our battle is going to continue. I'm not giving Ryuji up."

"And neither am I," smirked Kotonoha. Both Rina and Siera were hurdles but with Ryuji's support, she knew she would win. She was confident of the fact.

"Well, I do hope you get better soon," said Siera. "School will be boring without you two."

"Oh, don't worry. The SSSS and the LLRB will take good care of you," teased Kotonoha.

Rina snorted, "Glad to see that this hasn't affected your sense of humor."

"Well, they say laughter is the best medicine," said Kotonoha.

"Well, just get well soon. I know Ryuji won't come to school until you're better so I hope you get well quick," said Rina.

"Oh, I will," nodded Kotonoha.

* * *

Kat had heard what'd happened to Kotonoha and the baby. The unborn child was gone forever leaving Kotonoha a complete mess. She knew her brother, Ryuji, would be there to comfort her. Well, he should be there. He couldn't leave her side because she needed him right now. Her parents would be arriving in the morning after receiving the emergency call. At least Kotonoha wouldn't be alone.

Kat hadn't gone to the hospital. Instead she spent the rest of the day hunting down the Imagin which had gotten away. She jumped from roof to roof, trying to look for it from above with no such luck. Could it have gone to the past already? If it had then she would've noticed some changes occurring in the present.

This wasn't her world, this wasn't her timeline, but she felt at home here for some reason. At least without Kenzaki she had a measure of peace. Neko deserved better than him.

Kat's eyes then saw the Imagin and she grinned. With her card in hand she called, "Henshin."

* * *

Kotonoha's parents had gotten the emergency call and had come back via a private jet to see their daughter. While Mrs. Katsura was with Kotonoha inside the ward, Mr. Katsura was confronting Ryuji.

"And where were you when my daughter was hurt?" the man demanded.

Ryuji answered, "I was trying to protect her, but we got separated in the crowd. In the midst of the chaos, the monster attacked her. Luckily, Ifrit helped bring us here."

Mr. Katsura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He knew this boy was hiding something but right now he could see that the boy was just completely distraught over what'd happened. His child with Kotonoha was gone now, due to a miscarriage from the impact. Now wasn't the time to pick at wounds.

Ryuji placed his face in his hands. He felt guilt. He'd promised to protect Kotonoha but he hadn't been able to do that and now she was hurt and the baby she was so looking forward to hold in her arms was gone. It was just tragic.

Mr. Katsura sat down next to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, kid, I have to admit that I had doubts about you and my daughter. From what I heard, you're nothing but trouble."

"You're right about that," Ryuji muttered.

"But, as I saw you two together, I started to see what my little girl sees in you. You genuinely care about her, don't you?" asked Mr. Katsura.

"I do. She's the one who's stolen my heart. I've changed because of her," Ryuji confessed.

"And you've changed her. She used to be shy but now she's more outspoken," Mr. Katsura smiled. "She really needs you, right now."

"I know. I know," Ryuji nodded.

Mr. Katsura noted the ring on Ryuji's finger, having seen a similar one on Kotonoha, "So, when were you going to tell me you and my daughter were engaged."

"We were thinking by the time you got back from your business trip," answered Ryuji.

"Yes," Mr. Katsura sighed. "We have to go back in a week. We can't stay long." He then requested, "And I need a favor."

"Anything," Ryuji agreed.

"Take care of both of my little girls," said Mr. Katsura. "Like their mother, they're everything to me."

"I will, I swear on my honor," swore Ryuji seriously. "So, does this mean I get to call you dad?"

"Don't push it," Mr. Katsura frowned.

Ryuji sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot."

* * *

Even if Kat was a Kamen Rider in name only, she still had a strict code of honor. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. This Imagin had taken the life of Kotonoha's baby and so now its life was forfeit. It had been marked for death as soon as Kotonoha ended up in the hospital.

CopyKat wasn't subtle in her attack. Instead she was completely savage. She showed no mercy as she slashed at the Peacock Imagin with her clawed gauntlets. The sharp blades cut deeply into the Peacock Imagin's hide, causing it to scream out in pain. CopyKat didn't have any snide remarks. The only thing she'd said at the start of this fight was, "You die now."

The Imagin let out a howl of pain as it was sent flying by CopyKat's 'Raigo Dan' and then received a pummeling from her 'Resshuken'. But the violent punishment came from both her 'Goyu Koha' and 'Shishi Hokoha' techniques.

CopyKat was nearly done with punishing this Peacock Imagin. Now, it was time to end it. It was execution time.

She focused all her Rinki into her fists and focused her eyes on the Imagin who'd taken the life of a child who would've been her niece or nephew. She roared, "RINGI! GOYU SHODA!" and rushed towards the Imagin. She drew her right arm back before thrusting it forward and sank her claws right through the Imagin's body. She pushed her Confrontation Ki into the Peacock Imagin's body before withdrawing her claw and turning her back to it. She walked away as the Imagin fell backwards and exploded in a fiery blaze, defeated. However, the Rinki hadn't disappeared and flared out in all directions. She then leapt into the air, leaving a trail of black and violet Ki. She'd avenged both Kotonoha and Ryuji.

* * *

"I could make all this go away," said Topper as he appeared next to Ryuji.

"Go away. I'm not buying anything you're selling," growled Ryuji.

"But what if I say I can give you back your child?" questioned Topper. Ryuji looked at him. "Now I got your attention."

"You can do that?" asked Ryuji hopefully.

"I can take away her pain and give her back her baby," Topper offered. "But like all my offers there's a price to pay."

"What's the price?" Ryuji asked. He was careful not to say 'I would do anything' in front of Topper. That guy was a shrewd businessman by nature and could take anything as payment.

"Something of equal value, as always," Topper explained. "Today, another couple is expecting the birth of their own child. All I have to do is…" Topper was suddenly grabbed by his collar and slammed against the wall.

"Don't you even say it," growled Ryuji. He knew he should've have listened. "I'm not going to let another couple suffer so we can have our child back."

"But what about Kotonoha's suffering?' questioned Topper. "She was looking forward to having a child of her own. By doing this, I can ensure that she will have that."

"The life of one baby for another?" Ryuji looked hatefully at Topper. "Making another couple suffer? I won't allow that and I won't do it." He let go of Topper. "No deal."

"Then how about another one? I can make you completely human," offered Topper.

"Get out of my sight," ordered Ryuji.

"Fine," sighed Topper. "I guess you're a tough customer to please, but the customer is always right." He took off his hat and put it upside down on the floor. He then dove into his hat, vanishing inside the portal within before the hat blinked out of existence.

"God I hate him," grumbled Ryuji.

* * *

"You know you're underage right now, right?" said Warren as he saw Kat chuck an empty can of beer away.

"Screw off!" she snapped. "I'm not in the mood."

"I saw what you did to that Imagin," said Warren with a frown.

"So?" she retorted. "You think I went too far?"

"Actually…I think you went too easy on it," said Warren.

"What?" hissed Kat.

"That bastard killed a child. The fact that you even allowed it to die before calling me kinda pisses me off," answered Warren.

"The child would've been my future niece or nephew. It was a family matter. It was personal," said Kat

"I understand that," nodded Warren. "You still would have been the one to deal the finishing blow; I just wanted to help in the torturing."

Kat stated firmly, "Sorry, but I work alone. Always have, always will."

"Do you know what it's like, Kat?" Warren asked sadly. "To lose something as precious to you as a child?" Those were memories that haunted him to his very core, and right now he was reliving them.

"I almost did," answered Kat. "Do you know how I found Cathy?"

"No, I don't believe I've heard this story."

"It was after one of my missions. I found her in a dumpster. Can you believe the nerve of some people, throwing a child away like garbage?"

"Unfortunately, I can," sighed Warren. "You were on my world with us remember, during the War?" Warren was referring to his time with the ChronoLiner Riders, when he had been trapped on his own world, except back in World War 2.

"The memories are vague…but yes I do remember that time, even if the Living Gate was in control."

Warren rolled up his sleeve, showing Kat the tattoo on his wrist. "I witnessed atrocities no one should have too."

"I know. I sensed it coming off you in waves. You've suffered a lot and survived."

"I've also lost 2 daughters…first the baby I had with Meryl, and then Noel." Even saying her name pained him. Noel was a four year old girl who escaped with Warren from a Concentration Camp. However, one night the American camp they were traveling with was raided by Nazi soldiers. Warren saved her from them, but he got shot multiple times, and one bullet went right through him and into her, killing her instantly. He still had a bullet lodged in his shoulder, a constant reminder.

"I nearly lost Cathy once too. Some sick bastards kidnapped her for experiments. When I found them…let's just say there was not enough left to bury."

"I know the feeling. Getting vengeance on those that wronged you or your loved ones."

Kat nodded, "Wanting to make them suffer. You know I discovered that one of them even raped children. He was the one I spent the longest killing slowly."

"Good, but I try not to focus on vengeance these days," said Warren.

"Suit yourself," shrugged Kat. To her, hate, anger, revenge and violence were fuel for her Rinki.

"The only reason is because those feelings are what gave birth to Damien," said Warren grimly. Kat shivered at the very mention of _his_ name.

Kat stopped shivering and said, "Damien's not someone I want to see ever again for as long as I live."

"You're not the only one." Warren then tapped his head, "Luckily he's locked away safely in here."

"Good," nodded Kat. "Well, I have to go now. I have to visit Kotonoha. How is she doing right now?"

"Better I think," answered Warren. "Ryuji hasn't left her side."

"The girl's like a porcelain doll, physically and mentally. Something like this could break her so she needs someone that can mend her."

"No memory wipes," warned Warren firmly. "I've already been over that with Ryuji."

"Alright, I won't mess with her mind. I swear on my word of honor." She then heard a mighty shriek and looked up to see a huge bird-like monster soaring through the sky, "And looks like you're going to get your chance at making that thing suffer." The Peacock Imagin had reformed into a flying Gigandeath.

"Excuse me," said Warren. The ChronoLiner pulled up beside Warren. He leapt in and stepped into the cockpit. As Warren mounted the bike and took the controls, something happened to the ChronoLiner. A dark aura surrounded the train, turning its white paintjob pitch black. The red cover of the cockpit turned stark white with a black skull-shaped emblem on the front.

Introducing, the ChronoLiner Wraith Mode!

The tracks went up high into the air as the train raced along it after the Gigandeath. The weapons were immediately activated and released their ammo upon the bird-like beast. Lasers, bombs, and missiles bombarded the monsters but the Gigandeath screeched and released laser blasts from its beak. The feathers were also weapons and were fired like homing missiles which exploded against the train.

"Damn!" Wraith cursed as he tried to keep the train on track. "Need help!"

Four portals formed in the air and released the four Rescue Cars dubbed Fire-5, Gyro-6, Digger-7 and Submarine-8. They all transformed and attacked. They were drones but could also be piloted.

The fire truck-like Fire-5 fired its water cannon upon the Gigandeath, soaking it with violent jets of water. The Gyro-6 and Submarine-8 fired upon it with their missiles and torpedoes. It screeched and flapped its wings, blowing the train cars away. The Digger-7's drill spun as it charged at the Gigandeath and drilled into its body. The Gigandeath struggled to get free but the Digger-7 was holding it for the other Rescue Cars to continue their attacks.

"Time to finish this!" Wraith shouted as he focused his shadow power into the train. The cannon rose up atop the train's first car and aimed at the Gigandeath. "Target's locked on…and fire!"

The cannon charged up and then fired a concentrated beam of dark energy at the beast. The beam plowed right through the Gigandeath and it screeched out in anguish as its body exploded.

* * *

Ryuji continued to watch over Kotonoha as she slept. Her father and mother had returned home. They would be going back on their business trip after a week. They wanted to be there for their daughter in her time of need. Her condition would still be kept a secret and Ryuji swore to never tell anyone he didn't full trust.

A part of him wanted to change this. He had a time traveling train. All he had to do was board it and go back to that exact time and change what happened. He could save the baby and Kotonoha from breaking down.

However, another part of him remembered his responsibility. His job was to protect the timeline from being altered. He couldn't abuse the power he had for his own reasons, even if they were for Kotonoha. He could end up making things worse.

Maybe this was meant to happen? Maybe it was fate? He never really believed in fate but right now he wasn't so sure what he believed in. If he believed in God, then why would God let this happen?

Right now Kotonoha needed him, here, in the present. The past could wait. If she wanted, he would go back. To hell with the rules! All that mattered was Kotonoha's happiness and if getting back the baby made her happy, then he would get her baby back…but at what cost?

He didn't take Topper's deal because of what it would cost. Was altering the timeline really worth one baby?

* * *

One week had past and Kotonoha was feeling much better. Her parents had gone back on their business trip and leaving their daughters in his and Loki's care. Right now, Ryuji was help giving Kotonoha a sponge bath. He would be taking care of her at home and taking leave from school.

"You shouldn't miss school because of me," said Kotonoha as she felt the sponge run over the skin of her back. She was nude from the waist up and covering her chest with the blanket. The life had returned in her eyes and even though she missed the baby, she knew she needed to move on lest she worry her friends. They'd come to visit the hospital but never knew what'd happened to her. The story they'd been fed by Warren was that she had a fever and a bad stomach ache.

"I don't really need school," Ryuji shrugged. "Plus Warren's covering for me. And I can just copy notes off Rina and Siera. Not to mention I won't need to face those annoying KLLA, SSSS or LLRB morons." As much as he enjoyed beating on them, even that could get boring after a while.

"Don't say that," Kotonoha frowned as she looked over her shoulder at him. "An education is important." She shuddered when she felt his lips kiss against her back. "Ryuji-kun..." she moaned.

"You're important," he retorted. "Anyway, I'm going to cover for you at work later."

"Cover for me?" she blinked.

"I called Sekai's mom and she's got time for an interview for me this afternoon. Loki, Athena and Eros can take care of you," Ryuji said.

"You're so sweet, you know that?" stated Kotonoha. "I don't know why I even deserve you."

"I ask myself the same thing," Ryuji murmured. He wondered how a guy like him could get a girl like her. He checked his watch. "OK, I'm gonna be heading to Radish right now.**"** He turned her around and was about to give her a kiss when he admired her half nude body. She still had her pajama bottoms on. He smirked. "Do you think we have time for a quickie?" Kotonoha gave him a glare. "Right, sorry." He kissed her deeply before getting off the bed and handing her pajama top back. "See ya later, Koto-chan, and don't forget your meds."

"I won't," Kotonoha smiled as Ryuji walked out of the room.

Ryuji past Loki at the stairs and reminded his Imagin, "Make sure she takes her meds."

"I understand," nodded Loki. "Have a good day at work!"

Ryuji got out of the house and went to his bike. He mounted it and pulled on his helmet before revving up the helmet. He kicked up the stand and then drove out of the gate. He was headed for Radish.

* * *

Youko Saionji was sitting across from Ryuji at one of the table in Radish. They were talking over a certain deal. Actually, Ryuji had asked to talk to her.

"Oh, poor Kotonoha-chan," said Youko regrettably. "How is she doing?"

"She's stuck in bed rest until she gets better. Doctor's orders," answered Ryuji. "Since she won't be coming to work until she recovers, I wish to cover for her."

"You wish to work in Radish?" blinked Youko.

"Yes, yes I do," nodded Ryuji. "I know you mainly employ girls as waitresses, but I think I can do a pretty good job and-"

"You're hired," said Youko abruptly.

"And can you please let me finish?" sighed Ryuji. "I'm hired?"

"Well, my daughter has told me a lot about you. Despite your rough exterior, you are a nice boy deep down," said Youko honestly. "And I've seen how much you love Kotonoha-chan. She's lucky to have you as a boyfriend."

"I actually think I'm the lucky one sometimes," Ryuji admitted. "She's too good for me but she loves me anyway."

"Well, anyway, I also hired you because I've actually been thinking of hiring waiters too," confessed Youko. "I already have a uniform ready. I'm not sure if it'll fit you, though."

"Let me see it first," said Ryuji.

* * *

"How do I look?" asked Ryuji as he came out of the changing room. The uniform was a white shirt with short sleeves, a blue vest over it, a yellow bowtie and blue pants with black shoes. The other waitresses swooned while Sekai gawked. Ryuji cleaned up pretty well. He even braided his hair all nice and tidy. He didn't feel comfortable with all the stares, however.

"Wow!" Sekai let out.

"Oh, my!" Youko clapped. "You look amazing! I never thought it would fit!"

"So, what should I do? Mop the floor? Clean the dishes?" Ryuji asked. "I'll do anything to help."

"Just stand there," said Youko before she took a snapshot with her camera phone. The other girls also did the same, except for Sekai. Ryuji might be attractive, but she already had a boyfriend.

"What am I? Eye candy?" asked Ryuji.

"Just like the rest of us," one of the waitresses smirked while she snapped one more picture.

"Whatever," Ryuji huffed. "Am I going to do anything besides standing here and looking good?"

"Well, you'll be serving as well as making sure some of the problem customers don't cause our girls trouble," Youko explained.

"Sounds like my kind of thing," Ryuji grinned.

"Just don't kill them," Sekai warned.

"I can't make promises."

* * *

"Still here, I see," said Warren as he found Kenzaki at the bar, again, just like the night before, and the night before that, and the night before that.

"Leave me alone," Kenzaki slurred. "Just go away." He seemed even more depressed now than he did the last time Warren had seen him.

"Nah, I think I'll stay here and have a couple of drinks," said Warren as he took a seat next to the depressed and drunk bounty hunter. The waitress came over and took his order, a Jack Daniels in Coke. "A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks."

"Yeah? Like what? Kat finally convince Neko I'm no good for her?" asked Kenzaki.

"Ryuji found out that Kotonoha was pregnant. Then she had a miscarriage because of an Imagin attack," answered Warren solemnly. The waitress returned with his order and the Wraith took his drink.

"A miscarriage? You're kidding, right?" asked Kenzaki.

"I wouldn't joke about something like that," said Warren as he took another drink.

"Damn…" muttered Kenzaki. "How are they holding up?"

"Kotonoha seems better now. But it's not the kind of thing you can just get past."

"I don't know how I would be able to deal with something like that if it ever happened to…" he paused. Kenzaki still couldn't bring himself to say her name

"She misses you, ya know? She's been skipping class," said Warren.

"Whatever…" muttered Kenzaki.

"Wow, you sure are taking it hard," Warren pointed out sarcastically.

Kenzaki glared at the Wraith. "I bare my heart to her, protect her, and then I propose to her. She said no. No! After all we've been through and she says no! Do you know how it feels to be rejected like that? Two years with her just went down the drain the moment she said that word," he growled.

Warren shook his head. "No, they went down the drain when you up and left. I know where she's coming from, but I also know where you're coming from. Maybe if you told her how you felt instead of drowning yourself in booze things could get better."

"I bet that bitch is dancing and laughing at my expense," snorted Kenzaki. "How is that psycho anyway?"

"Well, she let out a lot of frustration on that Imagin that attacked Kotonoha, but she doesn't get how you could make Neko happy. Obviously she hasn't figured out what you two mean to each other."

"She hates men. Says I remind her of an old boyfriend."

"Her old boyfriend was Takada, who cheated on her."

"Heh, you don't say," laughed Kenzaki. "He was the dog and she was the cat. It wouldn't have worked out."

"You know, wolves and dogs are pretty similar," said Warren. "Maybe she's afraid you'll do to Neko what Takada did to her."

"I would never cheat on her!" shouted Kenzaki, "I…!" He wanted to continue but his words got caught in his throat.

"I know you wouldn't, Kat doesn't. Trust me, like dogs, wolves can also be pretty loyal to someone they love."

Kenzaki nodded in agreement. "So, family man, got any words of advice for this lone wolf?"

"Get better booze, the stuff you're drinking is horrible," laughed Warren. "And after that, go talk to Neko, and prove the psycho wrong."

* * *

"Hey, toots!" one lecherous college student grinned as he wrapped his arm around one of the waitresses. "How about you me and my buddies all head out and party somewhere?"

"Um…no," the waitress grimaced. "I'm still working. I have a boyfriend too."

"Aw don't be that way," the guy grinned. "I can make it worth your time. What do you say?" He pressed further by squeezing her shoulder uncomfortably. "I really have to insist."

"The lady said no," a gruff voice spoke from behind.

Blinking, the guy turned around to see who was talking. He found himself looking at the only male employee he had seen in the place since he and his buddies had entered.

"And who's gonna make me?" asked the guy.

"I thought that was obvious," the waiter frowned. He cracked his knuckles and let his threat hang.

"Oh yeah?" the letch growled. "Let's see you try!"

Several moments and the sounds of a brutal fight later, the letch was thrown out the front doors with his buddies running and screaming out of the place. Ryuji was standing at the door, dusting his hands.

"Learn the rules!" he shouted after them. "Look but don't touch! And don't ever come back!"

"Thanks, Ryuji," the waitress aid gratefully.

"Hey, it's my job," Ryuji smiled.

* * *

Kat was in her dark room, admiring her handiwork. It looked like an arrow and it was glowing with a faint miasma of black and violet. Her evil grin widened as she spoke to herself, "Soon, very soon, my sweet little sister will be free of that wretched wolf. Oh, this is going to be so much fun." She heard a knock at her door. "Yes?"

"Nee-chan, dinner time," Neko called. Neko had been staying with Kat all this time and appeared to be getting better despite Kenzaki's absence. Kat just thought this was her getting over the guy.

"OK, I'm coming," said Kat as she put the arrow under the mattress of her bed. When Kenzaki came back, she was going to break some hearts.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Uh-oh. Not good. What is Kat gonna do with that arrow? Anyway, this chap was pretty tragic but at least Kotonoha's recovering.

Ten-Faced Paladin: I never liked the tragic stuff. At least Kotonoha and Ryuji are able to recover. Live to love again and all that.

Shadow Element 13: Looks like Kenzaki and Neko's relationship is still going through some rough patches. Hopefully everything will work out. A small look into Warren's past in this chap as well.


	23. Heartbreak and Separation

**Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!**

Kotonoha was watching as Ryuji shot four empty cans off a small table placed on her front lawn. She applauded, "Sugoi, Ryuji-kun."

"Arigatou," smiled Ryuji as he blew the smoke off the barrel of his gun. The gun in question was his SB-Cell in Phone Blaster Mode. Since Kotonoha also had one, he thought it'd be a good idea for her to learn how to use the weapon. Luckily, he'd set it on stun for her. He went over and set the cans back up. "Now, it's your turn."

Kotonoha gulped a little and took out her own SB-Cell. She'd been so happy when he'd given it to her since now they had matching cell phones. She flipped it open and pushed the top half over to the side, turning it into a gun shape with the antenna acting as the gun's barrel. "H-hai!" She was feeling a bit nervous. He went over and stood behind her, taking hold of her arms and leveling them at the targets.

"Just relax," he advised. Kotonoha shuddered as his cold breath blew over her ear. "And keep your legs firm on the ground. For first timers the recoil can be a doozy."

"Hai," she nodded as she focused on the targets.

"Now, gently squeeze the trigger," he said. "Keep both hands on the handle and put your index finger on the trigger." He placed his hands on hers to make sure she was holding it right.

Kotonoha loved the close contact. He was so close to her and she felt like she was going to melt. She got her mind focused quickly on the task at hand. "Now, I can shoot?"

"Pull the trigger," he advised. She did as told.

**Bang!**

One of the cans went flying and Kotonoha cheered. Ryuji stepped back as Kotonoha hopped happily. "I did it! I did it!" However, she still had her hand on the gun and well…

**Bang!**

"Yeow!"

"Ryuji-kun, gomen!"

She had just shot his foot.

* * *

**"HEARTBREAK AND SEPARATION"**

* * *

Setsuna watched as Vash stumbled into class sporting another red handprint. She hadn't known him for long but she did note how he would try to pick up girls and then ending up getting slapped for his troubles. One time he actually managed to get a date but it'd ended horribly. She never got the full details but she knew it might've had something to do with Vash doing or saying something inappropriate.

Setsuna noted how peaceful the school was now with Ryuji, Kotonoha, Kenzaki and Neko absent. The KLLA, SSSS and LLRB weren't causing any trouble either since their target of jealousy was gone. Those guys needed a life in her opinion. Trying to fight Ryuji, while he could effortlessly beat down an army, was foolish. Every time they tried to attack him, he would fight back and put them down. That was why he was excused for tardiness.

School had been weird since she returned. Well, the hometown she grew up in was no longer the same. The appearance of monsters and superheroes completely shattered the normalcy of this place. Many welcomed the Riders as heroes while other viewed them as much as a nuisance as the monsters because of the collateral damage.

Setsuna had started a website on the internet. It was mainly about the Kamen Riders. She would write about what she'd discovered about them and others could even send in their own writing regarding the Rider. One guy even claimed the Riders were aliens and Setsuna was close to believing him. The technology they had was way beyond what she knew. The suits of armor, their weapons and their vehicles were like something out of science fiction.

Setsuna had been surprised that Ryuji was one of the Riders but a part of her had suspected it. He wasn't fazed by the monsters and seemed familiar to them. He could also fight and she'd seen the way he fought and compared it to Ifrit. Only someone with a trained eye could see how similar they were.

The Riders were big news on the internet. There were numerous sighting of them which had taken place in the past. Setsuna wondered how that could be possible. One sighting had even taken place 40 years ago. This just confirmed her suspicion that the Riders were time travelers.

She knew the army would try and get their hands on the Riders' technology and she doubt it was anything good. Power like that couldn't fall into the wrong hands, even with the best of intentions.

Setsuna sometimes wondered if Kotonoha herself knew Ryuji's secret. She was the only person Ryuji was close to in the class, choosing to be distant with everyone else. However, he had started to call her friends by their given names and was starting to call her Setsuna instead of Kiyoura. He still referred to Taisuke and Makoto by their surnames, in a hostile manner. It wouldn't surprise her with the way they'd treated Kotonoha. She recalled how Ryuji was like a guard dog watching a treasure, a treasure named Kotonoha Katsura.

Speaking of which, Setsuna had once again been made the Class Rep and Kotonoha was her assistant. Kotonoha had experience as Class Rep in her previous year so Setsuna knew she could trust the girl. Kotonoha was smart, even if she was very emotional as well.

Setsuna envied Sekai and Kotonoha for finding love. When was her turn going to come? She eyed Vash and shook her head. She wasn't THAT desperate.

She then saw Ryuji enter the classroom and blinked. "Looks like he's back." Maybe she should check outside to see if there were more unconscious bodies sprawled all over school grounds.

"Nice to see you back," said Setsuna as she went over to sit down in Kotonoha's empty seat. Ryuji looked over to see the Class Rep talking to him and sighed.

"Koto-chan forced me to come," he told her. "She said I couldn't miss another day of school. I wanted to stay home and take care of her but she insisted I come to school anyway."

"Isn't your guardian staying with you?" asked Setsuna. She'd learnt that while Ryuji's parents weren't around, he lived with a guardian named Loki.

"Yeah, he is, and he's taking care of her right now. But, I can't help but worry," Ryuji admitted.

"You love her a lot, don't you?" asked Setsuna.

"I really do," answered Ryuji.

"Hope she gets better soon," said Setsuna.

"So do I," nodded Ryuji. She then took notice of Rina and Siera walking into class together and groaned. "Oh, crap."

"Good morning, Ryuji," greeted Siera.

"Morning," greeted Rina.

"Ohayo," Ryuji greeted back, exasperated.

"I'm glad you decided to come to school, Ryuji," smirked Rina flirtatiously. With Kotonoha at home she could have a chance at seducing Ryuji when they were all alone.

"We've missed you here at school," added Siera. "It's been really quiet."

"Don't your fan clubs fawn over you?" retorted Ryuji.

"Oh, they do, but they don't dare approach us," boasted Rina. "It's like they're scared."

"Well, once I'm out of the way they don't have anything to do," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "They attacked me this morning too."

"So I saw." Rina had seen the bodies sprawled all over outside the building. "You really cleaned their clocks."

"I was in a bad mood," frowned Ryuji. He much rather be at home taking care of Kotonoha.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here, darling," winked Rina. She then went to her seat.

"Me too, me too," agreed Siera as she followed after her best friend and cousin.

"Now you know why I didn't want to come," Ryuji said to Setsuna.

"Because of them," she reasoned. "But aren't you neighbors?"

"That makes it worse. They always drop by to visit. Even though I agreed with myself to be nice to them, I never agreed to this engagement," Ryuji answered. "And at least Koto-chan's at home so they can't really do anything with her there. Once I'm here, I'm all theirs."

"Most men would love to be in your place," Setsuna gave her opinion.

"Those men are outside in pain right now," Ryuji pointed out.

Setsuna smiled a little. It amused her how Ryuji didn't know she knew he was a Rider. She then changed the subject, "Well, great work at Radish, by the way. Sekai's mom thinks you're doing great work."

"I try my best. It's my favorite hangout. I might as well do something to repay them for the great service," Ryuji said.

"She actually likes how you deal with our more…rambunctious customers," said Setsuna.

"No man should treat a woman like objects," said Ryuji proudly.

"Well, I do hope you continue working there when Kotonoha-san comes back," said Setsuna.

"Oh, I will," Ryuji nodded. It was hard to believe that he was having fun working at Radish. The fawning girls he could do without. When he'd been walking through the hallway, some girls were giving him appraising looks. It didn't annoy him as much as it should.

* * *

Kotonoha was still required to rest in bed for a few more days but she was slowly recovering.

"I'll go and get your breakfast," said Ryuji.

"Ryuji-kun, please don't strain yourself," said Kotonoha in concern. He was so busy taking care of her, going to school, going to work at the Radish, training and doing his schoolwork that he was looking exhausted. He didn't look like he'd been having enough sleep lately. She realized this when he came to sleep with her…around 4 am in the morning.

"I told you it's alright. You've taken care of me before so now it's my turn to do the same," he smiled. "I'll be right back."

Kotonoha watched as he walked out the door. As she waited, she couldn't help but feel how lucky she was to have the boy in her life in living with her. Despite his earlier behavior, she'd been able to see the real him. Deep down he was a kind person and…

**CRASH!**

"RYUJI!" Kotonoha heard Loki yell and gasped in shock.

* * *

Kotonoha panicked and ran down the stairs. Even if she was in bed rest she could still walk and wasn't as weak as she'd been before. She was close to recovery now thanks to Ryuji and her friends.

Kotonoha's eyes widened in horror as Loki dragged an unconscious Ryuji out of the kitchen. Kokoro and Eros were present as well. "Ryuji-kun!" She ran over. "What happened?"

"Kotonoha-san, you shouldn't be out of bed," said Loki.

"What happened?" asked Kotonoha again. "Loki, please, tell me!"

"He suddenly collapsed when he was carrying your breakfast tray," said Loki. On the floor was said tray and the ruined food.

"Onee-chan," Kokoro said worriedly. "Will Ryuji-niichan be okay?"

"He will be," said Kotonoha. "Loki, let me help."

"Alright, grab his legs," instructed Loki.

* * *

"Exhaustion?" Kotonoha questioned after she and Loki had put Ryuji to bed for rest. His skin was a pale grey color, like ash.

"With taking care of you, doing his schoolwork, going to school, going to work and training," Loki listed, "He didn't get much time to rest."

Ryuji was in bed, fast asleep. Kotonoha ran a hand over his cold cheek and frowned. "Ryuji-kun…you put yourself in danger because of me."

"He was happy to do so," Loki defended. "Even though it was tiring, he was willing to do anything for you."

"Souka," Kotonoha realized. "He's been taking care of me since my miscarriage that I couldn't see how he was suffering."

"He would suffer anything for you, Kotonoha-san," Loki clarified. "That's just the way he is."

"Well, it's now my turn to take care of him," said Kotonoha. "I'm going to call a doctor."

"Is that wise?" frowned Loki. "You do know that Ryuji's physiology is different from normal humans."

Kotonoha winced. Loki was right. Ryuji wasn't human even if he looked like one. His graying skin was a tell-tale sign of it. Who knows what the doctors may find?

"Ugh," Ryuji groaned as he slowly came to. "What happened?"

"Ryuji-kun, you need to rest," advised Kotonoha.

"Koto-chan, you should be in bed," he said weakly.

"Not anymore," she said poking his chest firmly. "Now it's your turn."

"You nearly exhausted yourself to death, Ryuji," explained Loki.

"I did, huh?" Ryuji sighed.

"Why do this to yourself?" asked Kotonoha. "I know you wanted to take care of me but you've been neglecting yourself." She didn't want him to harm himself because of her.

"Because I wanted to do whatever I could to repay you for everything you've done for me," Ryuji said honestly.

"I'll leave you two alone," said Loki before exiting the room. He closed the door to give the couple more privacy.

"What do you mean?" asked Kotonoha.

"You helped to pull me out of the darkness, Koto-chan," he answered. "You've helped me change for the better. Now, it's my turn to help you." He took hold of her hand and pulled her forward so she was on top of him. She blushed. "It's my way of paying you back for everything you've done for me."

"Oh, Ryuji-kun…" Kotonoha sighed. He then pulled her to his face and pulled her down for a deep kiss. Once they broke the kiss, Kotonoha breathed out. The coldness surroundingthem made her breath visible. "Sugoi…"

"Now, get to school," said Ryuji. "Since you're better now it's time to get this cute butt of yours there." He smacked her bottom, causing her to shriek.

"Eek!" She pinched his cheek. "Ryuji-kun!" Even when he wasn't well, he was still utterly perverted…and cute at the same time. She got off the bed and smiled down at the boy who was now resting in bed. "OK, I'll go to school. I hope you'll be alright."

"I just need rest," assured Ryuji. "Once you get back then you can give me some TLC." He gave a flirtatious smirk that made her giggle before leaving the room. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, he sighed.

"This is nothing, Koto-chan," Ryuji murmured. "I would die for you if I have to."

* * *

Soon enough, the roles were reversed. Kotonoha took care of Ryuji as he recovered from exhaustion. While Kotonoha knew she had to take it easy, she had to get back on her feet sooner or later. She might as well start now. So, she finally decided to go back to school and work. She'd given Youko a call and the woman was very understanding and told her to take it easy. Hearing what happened to Ryuji only made her very concerned. Youko had taken a liking to the young man even though he had to get physical with some of the rowdy customers.

In fact, Ryuji's presence was helping her business. More female customers were coming in the see the good-looking waiter who was protecting the waitresses from disorderly customers. The waitresses seemed to enjoy their jobs a little more now that they didn't have to worry about someone getting fresh with them.

The school seemed to have mixed feelings about Ryuji being absent. The three student associations took it as an opportunity to scheme better ideas on defeating Ryuji or scoring with the girls they lusted for. Makoto and Taisuke breathed sighs of relief since it meant they wouldn't be terrorized by Ryuji. The various friends confessed worry over them.

"I'm glad you're back in school, Kotonoha," Sekai said to her friend.

"I am too, but I feel like I should be at home taking care of Ryuji-kun like he's been taking care of me," frowned Kotonoha sadly.

"So, why aren't you?" asked Sekai.

"He insisted I come to school," Kotonoha said. Actually, he more like forced her to go to school. She'd missed a lot and he really didn't care if he went or not unless it meant spending time with her. He had taken to heart of how important education was so he had Loki shove her out the door to resume her educational needs. He'd told her he would be fine at home. Loki would be taking care of him.

"It's hard to believe he can get sick," said Sekai. "I mean he's always trying to look tough."

"I agree," added Rina. She couldn't believe Ryuji could get sick and almost accused Kotonoha of hiding him from her. "He's usually stronger than that."

"He's only human," said Kotonoha figuratively.

"Well, if he didn't exhaust himself taking care of you then he wouldn't be sick," huffed Rina. She was feeling jealous, really**.**

"I just hope he gets well soon," said Siera. "I miss seeing him at school."

"We can always visit," shrugged Rina. "We do live in the same neighborhood."

"Maybe we should all visit him," suggested Sekai.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sekai-san," objected Kotonoha. "Ryuji-kun needs his rest. If you all come he may get angry."

"Oh, well," Sekai sighed. "Tell him I said hi. He's really not so bad once you get to know him."

"Thank you," smiled Kotonoha.

"Oh, by the way, do you know what happened to Kenzaki-san and Neko-san? I asked Warren-sensei but he wouldn't tell us," said Sekai.

"Well, I haven't seen them lately," frowned Kotonoha. She knew the couple was hitting a rough patch in their relationship. Kenzaki was nowhere to be found and Neko was still at Kat's.

"Oh, come on," Sekai urged. "Kotonoha, I know you know something's up." Sekai hated being out of the loop especially when her friends were involved. She knew something was happening to the two, and she wouldn't stop till she got answers.

* * *

The next day, Ryuji woke up after many hours of sleep, looking completely refreshed and recovered. Kotonoha made him promise her to never strain himself again. He gave her his word and meant it. So, he started to come back to school again the next day. He was going to take it easy for her.

The KLLA, SSSS and LLRB members were still in the hospital. Apparently, they'd caught him on a bad day and were in intensive care. That meant there were a lot of absences in school today but Ryuji didn't give a damn.

He commuted to school with Kotonoha, Rina and Siera. Even though he was still upset over this engagement thing, he wasn't being fair by treating them harshly. He would treat them as friends but make sure they realize they didn't stand a chance at getting him as a husband. Rina just took it as a challenge.

* * *

Neko and Kenzaki both met awkwardly at the gate. Behind her were Rose, Cathy, Bobby and Kat. Kenzaki and Kat both traded hostile glares but said nothing. Neko looked over her shoulder at the others. "Nee-chan, you and the others please go in first."

"Are you sure?" asked Kat, still glaring at Kenzaki.

"Yes, I am," nodded Neko. Kat sent one last glare at Kenzaki and hissed before she, Rose, Bobby and Cathy continued toward the school. Kenzaki and Neko looked at each other, but tried to avoid making eye contact.

"So, how have you been?" asked Kenzaki.

"Can we go someplace else to talk, in private?" asked Neko. Kenzaki nodded in agreement. The pair went behind the school building to continue their talk.

"So, how have you been?" repeated Kenzaki.

"I've been fine these past few days. I've been staying at my sister's. What about you?" asked Neko.

"I've been fine, trying not to get into trouble," answered Kenzaki.

"You haven't been fighting the Imagin as of late," noted Neko. "Neither have I."

"I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to figure some things out" said Kenzaki.

"Like where we stand, right? What our relationship is?" questioned Neko.

"Mostly that, yes," nodded Kenzaki.

"Are you still upset that I rejected your proposal?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"I've been doing some thinking too. I really want things to go back to the way they were but that's impossible, right?" Neko asked fearfully.

Kenzaki shook his head. "I don't know if it is or not. I do love you, but I don't know if our relationship will ever move forward."

Neko tried to change the subject. "So, how are the others?"

"They're fine. Kumiko seems to be enjoying high school. Okami's still pissed at everything, Raion still plays his music way too loud, and Byakko tries to keep Buraki in line."

"So, life as usual on the GaroLiner," mused Neko.

"Sort of. It feels like something is missing though. It's like everyone's just going through the motions."

"I'll come back, if you want me to."

"Of course I want you back. The question is; what do you want?"

"For you to stop hating my sister, my darker half," said Neko.

"I'm sorry, Neko," said Kenzaki as he shook his head. "I've tried, but there are some things even I can't do."

"I see," nodded Neko as she tried to hold back tears. "We should get to class or we'll be late." Neko walked away depressingly. Kenzaki followed soon after.

* * *

"OHAYO!" Kat greeted as she slapped Ryuji's back when he came into the entrance.

"Kat!!!" Ryuji yelled as he messaged his back. "Damn it, every time!?"

"Hey, it's my special greeting," his psychotic sister grinned.

"Why do you look so damn happy?" Ryuji asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's a secret," she winked. "You'll be hearing about it soon."

"Come on, Kat," said Rose as she grabbed Kat's arm. "Or we'll be late to class."

"OK, see ya!" waved Kat as she was dragged by Rose.

"She's the evil one, right?" Rina pointed, wishing to make sure. She had met Neko and Kat and had trouble telling them apart unless she looked them in the eye. Neko had blue eyes while Kat's were red.

"Yes, she is," Ryuji nodded. "Now, come on."

* * *

"Long time no see," Ryuji greeted when he saw Kenzaki back in school. At least he wasn't in some bar getting himself drunk. Neko was back too. He smiled. At least things were starting to get back to normal, or so he would like to think.

"Oh, Warren talked me into coming back," said Kenzaki.

"And so have you talked to Neko-nee?" asked Ryuji. "You know, about the…thing?"

Before Kenzaki could answer, a voice was heard coming from the PA system.

"_ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS OF SAKAKINO HIGH!!!_"

That was Kat's voice.

"Kat!?" Kotonoha gasped.

"Oh, shit," Ryuji groaned. He knew she would do something like this.

Everyone looked up as they heard Kat's voice over the school's loudspeaker. "_Attention everyone! Kenzaki Tsukuba has proposed to Neko Hasuma! And she said NO!! Serves you right, Kenny!_" This was followed by her maniacal and victorious laughter.

"Nee-chan!?" shouted Neko. She then ran off to find her sister.

"I saw this coming," muttered Ryuji. "Koto-chan, call the ambulance and police."

"Kill her…I'm gonna kill her…" growled Kenzaki.

* * *

"What a loser, isn't he?" Kat continued to talk through the microphone. The room she was in was the broadcasting club's room and where they did their morning announcements. She then heard the door open behind her and spun around in her seat. She could see Neko standing at the door, panting and staring at her.

"Nee-chan, stop," Neko warned. "Please."

"What's wrong Neko-chan?" asked Kat innocently. "I'm just spreading the news since it's true."

"Kat-neechan, you're going too far," said Neko. "You don't need to humiliate him like this."

"I haven't gone far enough…" Kat cackled.

"Oh, Kat…" groaned Rose as she entered. She knew Kat would do something like this.

"Kat-neechan, please stop this. You may not like Ken-kun but that doesn't give you the right to do this!" exclaimed Neko.

"But it's so much fun!" laughed Kat. "Don't you remember what it's like, Neko-chan? To be free to do anything you want without fear of consequence?"

"Nee-chan…" sighed Neko. She then shot up as Kenzaki burst through the door, looking murderous.

"And here comes the jilted lover," hissed Kat.

"End this Kat…NOW!" growled Kenzaki.

"Oh, it's all over the school, Kenny. Sorry, but I can't do anything to stop it. Say bye-bye to your rep, Wolf-boy!" Kat laughed. She was shocked when Kenzaki suddenly appeared in front of her, punching her in the face and sending her flying. "And now it starts! Rinki time!" Her body flared up with her Lioness-Ken Rinki.

Kenzaki, however, looked calm. "Kat, do you even know why you're still alive?" asked Kenzaki.

"Because I'm an evil genius with an escape plan," boasted Kat.

"No, it's because of Neko. If it wasn't for the fact that I loved her, I would have killed you the second I saw you."

"You would've killed her without any hesitation if the Titans didn't stop you," Kat hissed menacingly.

"The WAS true. But I love Neko more than anything NOW. So if you don't shut the fuck up and back off, I'll show you what I wanted to do 2 years ago" threatened Kenzaki.

"Let's see you try," Kat smirked. "You kill me, her sister, and she'll hate you. Sure, she'll get over it but then things won't ever be the same. Either way, I win. In any case, I have things to do and places to go. See ya!" Kat then teleported away.

"Rose, get a tighter leash for that girl of yours," growled Kenzaki.

"I can't control her, only restrain her insane tendencies," sighed Rose. "She's bored, and when she's bored she's unpredictable, Kenzaki."

* * *

Kat had teleported into the school's sports equipment shed. She'd hidden something here and now was the time to use it.

"Oh, this is gonna be sweet," she chuckled as she retrieved the item, which was glowing with malevolent Confrontation Ki.

* * *

"Please, forgive my sister, Ken-kun," requested Neko.

"Neko, I may care about you, but even I have my limits," Kenzaki frowned angrily. As they walked through the hallway, students were staring, pointing and whispering. It was all over the school and he hated how Kat had turned him into the centre of attention. Could this get any worse?

Kat wasn't far behind. Once she caught sign of their behinds, she notched the arrow with the bow and aimed. "Ringi," she murmured, "Arrow of Loathing." The arrow she had wasn't a normal one. It was actually one of Eros' Love Arrows but it was now a Loathe Arrow due to Kat continuously pumping her Rinki into it. She placed all her hate into it and with it she could make anyone hate anyone. She planned to use this to make Neko hate Kenzaki.

"Sayonara to my sister's love," she grinned before letting the arrow fly.

**Twang!**

Kenzaki's sharp hearing caught the sound of the arrow being fired and spun around quickly. He saw an arrow shooting straight toward Neko. "Neko! Look out!" shouted Kenzaki as he pushed her out of the way.

**Thunk!**

"Ken-kun!" shouted Neko. Kenzaki, because he couldn't feel pain, hadn't realized what'd happened. He looked down and realized that the arrow had pierced his chest.

"That's weird. The only things than can get past my metal is the same type of metal or magic…" said Kenzaki as he reached and yanked the arrow out of his chest. He then looked up and saw Kat standing there, a bow in her hand. "You!" growled Kenzaki. His blue eye turned blood red and both his eyes began to glow. His Fierce Ki exploded off his body like a violet blaze. His face became more canine in appearance, and his entire body became covered in silver fur. This horrified all the students when they witnessed the transformation and they immediately ran, screaming for their lives. However, they weren't his targets. He already had one in mind.

"YOU!" roared the enraged werewolf Kenzaki as he lunged for Kat.

"Oh, crud," Kat grimaced.

"Ojou-sama, we need to stop this!" Gekiryuken exclaimed.

"Yamette!!!" screamed Neko as she watched her lycanthrope boyfriend attack Kat. The werewolf swiped at Kat with his claws but luckily for Kat she had awesome reflexes and was able to dodge the claws. However, one mistimed step allowed for Kenzaki's claws to rip open her shirt, revealing a black sports bra.

"Kuso!" Kat cursed as she continued to dodge. Kenzaki's claws were coming for her face when she saw saved by Ryuji, who tackled Kenzaki from behind and forced the werewolf to the ground.

"Kat!" shouted Ryuji. "What did you do!?" he demanded as he struggled to keep his changed ally under control by holding him down.

"What makes you think this is my fault?" Kat shot back in an attempt to deny any involvement in this.

"Because it always is!" he snapped right back. Before Kat could give an angry retort, the werewolf tossed Ryuji off him. The Rider slid along the floor to stop at Kat's feet. The werewolf too had picked himself up and reared his head back to unleash a howl. At the same time, his Violet Geki flared out.

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The Geki-infused howl shattered all the windows, causing glass to scatter. Kat and Ryuji covered their sensitive ears. The werewolf then lunged for the two of them. It swiped its claws at the Yin twins. Ryuji ducked and used an uppercut on Kenzaki. While the werewolf was sent reeling by the hit, Kat hit Kenzaki in the midsection with a sidekick, forcing him back some more.

"We gotta get him out of here before he hurts someone!" Ryuji cried out.

"Yeah, like us!" agreed Kat.

"Move!" shouted Warren as he arrived. Kat and Ryuji leapt out of the way. "Bakudo Number 62! Hyapporankan!" A rod formed of energy shot toward Kenzaki, before disintegrating into numerous short rods which pinned Kenzaki to the wall, rendering him immobile.

"Will that hold him?" Ryuji asked.

"A level 62 Bakudo? It should. So, who wants to tell me what's going on?" asked Warren.

"Ask her," said Ryuji, pointing at Kat.

"I had nothing to do with this!" hissed Kat. Obviously she was lying.

"Kat, you know you can't lie to me," pointed out Warren.

Kat let out a defeated sigh. "OK, if you must know…" Before she could finish her answer, Kenzaki's Fierce Violet Wolf Geki intensified as it broke apart Warren's binding spell.

"You said it would hold!" shouted Ryuji.

"Get him outside!" commanded Warren. "I'm gonna need to use a stronger Bakudo!"

"Ken-kun! Yamette!" pleaded Neko.

Gekiryuken shouted, "Ojou-sama, it's dangerous!"

"Can't you stop time!?" Ryuji asked Warren. "Or cast a stasis field or something?" After learning about magic, he knew the type of spells that could be cast.

Warren said reassuringly, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, kohai. Now get him outside!"

"OK, time to BEAST OUT!" Ryuji looked at Kenzaki and let out his own roar before changing into his Orphenoch form. He and Kenzaki both fought, literally, tooth and nail, as they clawed and bit at each other.

"Ringi! Ganji Gatame!" She used a Rinki whip to bind Kenzaki. "Now, outside!" She leapt out the broken window, pulling Kenzaki with her. The Ifrit Orphenoch followed. Warren too leapt out the window to follow them.

Warren pointed his palm at Kenzaki. "Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo Number 75! Gochutekkan!" Five giant pillars fell from the sky and forced Kenzaki to the ground.

"OK, that's cool," admitted Kat.

Unfortunately, none of them would have time for a reprieve when the Ki around Kenzaki took the form of his GekiBeast, the violet GekiWolf. The GekiBeast unleashed a loud howl which sent out shockwaves that shook the school. The pillars trembled before they shattered apart. Kenzaki was getting stronger.

"Kat, we're going to have a long talk after this. Ryuji, go get Neko and Eros, I have a feeling as to what caused this," ordered Warren.

Ryuji shifted back into human form. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

Warren smiled, "Trust me, I've dealt with worse."

"Right," nodded Ryuji. "I'll call Kokoro-chan to have her send Eros over." Ryuji then ran back into the school building to fetch Neko and make a quick call.

"Henshin!" called Kat. Her armor formed over her body. She twirled her axes around and gripped them tightly. "You and me now, wolf-boy."

Kenzaki roared and lunged at CopyKat. She got the wind knocked out of her as Kenzaki's shoulder connected with her stomach. She never realized that he was this strong. CopyKat swiped at him but he wasn't an easy target to hit with her axes. He was so fast and agile. His claws slashed at her, causing sparks to fly. She then leapt back and tossed her axes at him but he leapt after her. CopyKat's eyes widened when he grabbed her shoulders and then pulled her to him before biting down on her shoulder. "ARGH!!! GET OFF! GET OFF!" she screamed.

"Bakudo Number 30! Shitotsu Sansen!" called Warren as beams of light shot from his hand. Kenzaki was hit by the 3 beams of light and pinned to the ground. "Don't move!"

Warren ran over to CopyKat who was in pain and holding her shoulder. "Ugh, think he gave me rabies! Why don't you put him out of his misery already!?" she shouted.

Warren's hands glowed as he began healing her shoulder. "You'd like that wouldn't you? No more Kenzaki around to take Neko from you."

CopyKat remained silent.

"Got them!" shouted Ryuji as he ran to the spot with Eros and Neko in tow.

"Yup, definitely one of my arrows, but it's not supposed work like this," said Eros.

"You have Kat to thank for that." Warren asked, "Now, can you help reverse it?"

"I need to know how it was done," said Eros. All eyes were now on CopyKat.

"Nee-chan, tell me how you did it, onegai," pleaded Neko.

CopyKat gritted her teeth. She just felt weak whenever Neko looked at her like that. She just couldn't refuse her. She cracked under Neko's gaze. "I infused the arrow with my Rinki," explained CopyKat.

"Your hatred, right?" questioned Ryuji.

"I was trying to use it…" she then trailed off.

Neko gasped in realization, "To make me hate Ken-kun."

"I needed to make you get over him. I never meant to turn him into a monster," said CopyKat.

"Well, he did," pointed out Ryuji.

"So, if Rinki did this, then Geki can reverse it, right?" asked Warren.

"Worth a shot. Ojou-sama, are you up for this?" questioned Gekiryuken.

"I am," nodded Neko.

"Here" said Eros as he handed an arrow over to her. "Do it."

Neko stared at the arrow and at Kenzaki who looked like he was suffering. Closing her eyes, she allowed her Geki to flow from her body and into the arrow. In a matter of seconds, the Love Arrow was filled with Geki.

Eros took back the arrow and notched it in his bow. He took aim and fired upon Kenzaki. The werewolf howled when the arrow hit his heart and faded. The Violet Geki around Kenzaki slowly faded as he slowly turned back. The grey fur withdrew into his skin as his muzzle shrank back into his normal nose and mouth. The pointed ears also turned back to normal. CopyKat snorted and looked away. Another failure it seemed.

"And where do you think you're going?" asked Warren as his Bakudo faded around Kenzaki. Neko immediately ran to Kenzaki's side, relieved that he was back to normal.

"Out of here," answered Kat as her armor disappeared.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch," growled Kenzaki as he stood up.

"What are you going to do about it?" sneered Kat.

Kenzaki again appears in front of her, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air. "Whatever I want!" he growled. He gripped harder, his claws digging into her neck. She tried to pry his hand off but he just tightened his grip.

"Ken-kun! Stop! Please, stop!" cried Neko.

Kenzaki glared at Kat, before he let out a growl and dropped her. She messaged her bruised neck.

"Nee-chan, what you did was terrible. I think you need to be punished so you can think about what you did," said Neko.

Kenzaki pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "I couldn't agree more," said Kenzaki as he snapped the handcuffs on the sociopathic girl.

"I'm under arrest, huh? What charges?" Kat hissed.

"You have an E-Class bounty on your head. I don't normally go after small fry like you, but I'll make an exception in this case," said Kenzaki with a smirk.

"E-Class!?" shouted Kat. She felt insulted. "Small fry!?"

"Exactly," smirked Kenzaki. "You're the lowest of the low."

"Cheh, whatever," scoffed Kat. "Neko, tell Rose and Cathy I won't be coming home for dinner…for awhile."

"Neko, anything you want to say to your sister before she goes away?" asked Kenzaki.

"Kat-neechan…I do hope you learn something from this," said Neko.

Kat rolled her eyes, uncaringly, "I'll get out anyway. You'll see."

Neko walked up and hugged her sister, before whispering to her. "Kat-neechan, at least stay there for a day to make it look believable," whispered Neko. Kat winked at her.

The GaroLiner showed up to pick Kenzaki and his captive. Kenzaki quickly and roughly shoved Kat through the open door and entered. The door closed and the train flew off.

"And now we gotta fix this mess," said Ryuji, referring to the broken windows and witnesses.

"Not problem," said Warren. He then cast a spell, "Sleep!" At the sound of his command, all that had witnessed the fight passed out and fell asleep. "And now, Forget!" The spell washed over the students. "By the time they wake up, they won't remember a thing."

"And the windows?" Ryuji deadpanned.

"What do I look like? A construction worker?" joked Warren.

* * *

"So, Kat tried to reverse one of Eros' arrows?" asked Kotonoha.

After school, Kotonoha and Ryuji both went to lie in bed to cuddle for a bit. After settling in, Ryuji decided to explain just what had happened at school that day. Needless to say, Kotonoha was mildly surprised.

"Yes," Ryuji nodded. "She hoped it would make Neko-nee hate Kenzaki, but she hit Kenzaki instead. After that, all it did was boost the hate he already had for her. He turned into a werewolf and tried to kill her several times. Warren had to put him down with strong spells before Kat and Eros made a stronger love arrow to nullify it." He grumbled, "Kat can't seem to stay out of trouble."

Kotonoha asked, "So what happened?"

"Well, Kenzaki arrested Kat and turned her in for a bounty," Ryuji explained. "I'm starting to get a little worried though. This feud he has with Kat is getting worse and I'm afraid that things are going to get more violent soon."

"Probably will," Kotonoha agreed. "From what I've seen, Kat-san is fiercely protective of Neko-san, but I don't think it's fair that she's trying to force Neko-san to break out with Kenzaki-san. Then again, Kenzaki-san seems to be having a problem with Neko and Kat being so nice to each other."

"Now that's a huge problem," Ryuji sighed.

"Will they try to force her to choose?" asked Kotonoha.

"Probably sooner or later," Ryuji nodded. "They're at a stalemate and they'll try to convince her to choose one over the other and Neko probably won't. She cares about both."

**

* * *

  
**

Kat was in her cell, throwing darts at a picture of Kenzaki that was stuck onto a dart board. "I wonder if anybody misses me?" she wondered out loud. "I know Rose and Cathy would." Then she sensed someone approaching. She looked to see a man in a hood and a mask. "Who the hell are you? A Phantom of the Opera wannabe?"

"No, I'm someone with a proposition for someone of your talents," said Nanimo in his cold metallic voice.

"Sorry, but I don't swing that way," snorted Kat, turning back to her dartboard.

"Not even if the target is Kenzaki Tsukuba?" asked Nanimo.

Kat looked up, an evil smirk on her face. "Tell me more," she said, suddenly interested.

"Not here. I'll contact you later with more details. But first…" Nanimo grasped the bars of Kat's cell and ripped them clean off. "I need you to escape. But you never saw me."

Kat walked out of the cell and turned to Nanimo. "OK…let's go. They got this collar on me so I can't port out." She pointed to the collar for emphasis.

Nanimo, like the cell bars, grasped the collar and ripped it off. "I have plans to complete here. Just make sure he knows you escaped."

"OK, deal. Who are you anyway?" she asked.

"My name is of no importance. Now, I believe you have a job to do," said Nanimo.

Kat smirked and picked up one more dart. "Hey, if it's messing with him, I'd do it for free." She then threw the dart, hitting Kenzaki's picture right between the eyes.

* * *

Siera and Rina had also been witnesses to the disaster at the school that day. Thankfully the mind wipe didn't apply to them. Kotonoha and Ryuji were quiet about it and didn't feel like talking. Then again, the pair didn't talk that much when they were walking next to the god/devil pair. It hurt Rina and Siera's feelings that their common love interest didn't want to talk to them, but they were still determined to woo him eventually.

As a demon, Rina could understand grudge matches better than her cousin. Obviously, Kenzaki and Kat had a rough past and didn't like each other that much. Hearing that he had proposed to Neko and she turned him down, she assumed that Kat was as happy as a clam about it. Telling the school was just icing on the cake to her. Of course, trying to split them up so publicly was just sloppy. There were much better ways to break lovers up and not have to worry about fallout. Obviously Kat was confident that Neko would be able to stop Kenzaki from clobbering her one day.

Siera felt her heart go out to Kenzaki. It must have been hard for him to be turned down by the woman he loved. Kat was just being cruel by telling the whole school about the event. Siera wasn't usually so vindictive, but love was a precious subject to her. In her opinion, Kat deserved every pain she got for that stupid stunt she pulled. The punishment she would receive was only an extra treat. Why didn't anyone try to rein her in? This feud she was having with Kenzaki was getting out of control.

* * *

The next couple of days were quiet following Kat's absence and incarceration. The windows had been repaired and as Warren promised, nobody remembered Kenzaki wolfing out. This gave Kenzaki and Neko time to mend their relationship.

Rose and Cathy were upset, though, but they were also confident that Kat would get out. Bobby was confident his partner would escape anyway. Kenzaki didn't see how she could since she was in a highly secured prison.

The day began as usual. Ryuji was surrounded by three fanboys. They were the Nakayama triplets. Each was a member of the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB.

"I am Nakayama #1, of the KLLA and president of the science club." He was holding what looked like a paintball gun.

"I am Nakayama #2, of the SSSS and vice-president of the science club." He was carrying a sack of smelly socks.

"I am Nakayama #3 of the LLRB and secretary of the science club." He was holding a bicycle pump.

"TOGETHER WE ARE THE NAKAYAMA BROTHERS UNITED!" they announced together, going into a stupid sentai pose. Ryuji yawned, bored.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha said, looking frightened.

"Hey, need help?" asked Kenzaki who'd shown up for school to see the spectacle.

"Nah, I'm good," smirked Ryuji.

The Nakayama brothers connected the pump to the paintball gun and then connected them to the sack of dirty socks. They all put on gas masks.

"Stink bomb?" Ryuji guessed as he quirked an eyebrow.

"NOW, PREPARE YOURSELF! YOU'LL SMELL SO BAD THAT NO GIRL WILL WANT YOU!" Nakayama #1 aimed the gun at Ryuji s Nakayama #2 pumped the odor of the dirty socks into the gun.

However, before they could fire, someone shouted out, "RAIGO DAN!" A ball of Confrontation Ki went sailing and exploded, sending the Nakayama brothers flying.

"Nani?" blinked Neko. "That Ki signature..."

"Kat?" questioned Ryuji.

"Hello!" Kat waved as she appeared. "Look who's back!"

The Nakayama brothers all landed in a smoking heap, in pain, and their equipment ruined. Kenzaki's eyes were on Kat. "How are you back?!" roared Kenzaki

"Good behavior," said Kat with a smirk as she walked over.

"Like you know what it means to be good," growled Kenzaki.

"Well, whatever," she said before turning to Neko. "Told you I would get out, as always."

Kenzaki looked at Neko, hurt in his eyes. "You…knew…?"

Neko looked away from Kenzaki. "We can talk about this later…"

Kenzaki looked at Neko angry. "Yes we will…" he growled. He then turned his back on her. "Until then, don't talk to me."

**

* * *

  
**

Warren was at the front of the class giving a lecture as the students took notes. Well, almost all of them were taking notes. Taisuke had fallen asleep midway through the class because he spent last night watching porn.

Kenzaki and Neko weren't focusing either. Kenzaki was trying to ignore Neko while the girl herself kept staring at him. They hadn't spoken a word to each other once they entered class and it was starting to depress her.

* * *

"Hey, welcome back," said Nanami.

"Aw, you missed me," grinned Kat. She went to grope Nanami and had her hands smacked. "Itai. Nanami-chan is so mean…"

"I may like you, but that doesn't mean you can just come up and grope me all the time," frowned Nanami. Kat kept grabbing onto her. Even if Kat was a proud lesbian, she needed to set some limits.

"Oh, don't be a prude," Kat teased.

"Where have you been?" asked Hikari. "You haven't been to school for days."

"Oh, I was grounded," stated Kat.

"Grounded?" Hikari blinked in confusion. She then narrowed her eyes. Did it have something to do with what happened several days ago? Maybe she needed to talk with Benitora after school ended.

* * *

"You knew!?" roared Kenzaki. Both he and Neko were on the roof during lunch.

"I did. She was going to escape. She told me she would and I knew she was capable of doing so," admitted Neko.

"So, you knew your CRIMINAL sister was going to escape prison, and instead of telling me, you make me look like an idiot by bringing her in, just to have her break out."

"Ken-kun…I…" began Neko.

"I can't believe that you agreed with me, just because you knew that lunatic would get off completely free!" shouted Kenzaki.

"Kat-neechan always escapes," said Neko. "And, you wanted to catch her. She only allowed herself to be captured because she knew she could get out."

"Yeah, but YOU allowed me to turn her in knowing that she would get out," said Kenzaki. "I thought you were on my side, Neko."

"I am on your side but Kat is family. Family comes first," explained Neko.

That had just made the situation worse. "OK, fine. I'm not family. I get it," said Kenzaki, his voice cold. "So, your lunatic sister comes before the guy you claim to love. Makes perfect sense."

"Ken-kun, don't make this a big deal," said Neko, oblivious to how pissed off Kenzaki was. "Did you expect Kat to stay in prison once you captured her?"

And with that Kenzaki finally snapped. "Don't make a big deal?! You pretty much just told me you care for a psycho more than you care for me! I was hoping that she'd finally learn her lesson! I thought you loved me more than that! But I guess I was wrong on both counts."

Neko's eyes began to water. "I love you! That's true! But Kat and I share a bond! We shared the same body for years. True, she's not exactly mentally stable but she does care for me! In a warped way, she was looking out for me and trying to do what was best for me. But, I guess, if you can't understand that…"

"You're right, I don't understand," growled Kenzaki. "I don't understand how after she tried to KILL me and after she tried to get YOU to kill me, that you can still care about her more."

"I don't understand it myself but all I know is that she never meant harm to any of us," said Neko, trying to calm down the situation.

"Weren't you listening to what I just said!?" shouted Kenzaki. "She was bored so she tried to kill me, and yet you still defend her."

"She also helped us in Kyoto," pointed out Neko.

"She helped herself," retorted Kenzaki. "You know that if I was in Kotonoha's place, she'd be helping Nanimo, not us."

"Ken-kun, one day she'll save your life…"

"Wrong Neko, one day, either I'll kill her, or she'll kill me. And given what you've been saying, you'd be sadder if Kat died than if I did. Hell, you'd probably help her celebrate. Tell me, Neko, if you had to choose who would live, me or Kat, who would you choose?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

"Answer the question, Neko," he demanded of her, "If you have any faith in our relationship, you'll answer the question."

"I…I can't…I can't choose!" cried Neko.

"That's all I need to hear. No matter what, I can never come before Kat, can I?" asked Kenzaki.

"Ken-kun, what you're asking of me…I don't know if I can make such a choice," said Neko.

"You just made your choice Neko."

"Ken-kun…gomen."

"Save it!" growled Kenzaki.

"No!" Neko denied. "Please, Ken-kun, don't make me choose!" She placed a palm to her heart. "I can't choose!"

"Then I guess there's no reason for us to be together anymore," Kenzaki said solemnly.

Neko's eyes widened in fear of the words he had just spoken. "Wh…what are you talking about Ken-kun?"

"I mean that until you can make a choice, there's no way we can be together. Goodbye, Neko." He turned away from her and left. The girl watched, stunned before falling to her knees and breaking down in tears.

* * *

It was after school and Ryuji was walking home from a trip to a convenience store with a bag of goods. The rain didn't bother him that much since his mind was on other things. Kenzaki had broken up with Neko again because she apparently would choose Kat over him. Ryuji thought it was logical since Kat and Neko used to be one person. If Kenzaki wanted a chance at being picked first, he would have to be with Neko for at least the same amount of time as Kat and Neko had as one person. Instead, he was drinking himself stupid and whining because Neko was being a decent person and defending family. Ryuji swore to smack him next time they met.

"Ryuji Hasuma!" three voices shouted.

Ryuji groaned and turned around. To his annoyance, the three Nakayama brothers were aiming at him with some kind of homemade gadgets. Their last attempt had been bad enough and he didn't want to deal with them right now.

"What do you guys want? As if I don't know though," Ryuji sighed.

"Today we liberate our idols from you!" Nakayama #1 called as he aimed a nozzle attached to a pack on his back at Ryuji. His two brothers did the same.

"This glue will leave you stuck here for days!" shouted Nakayama #2

"Enough time to free our loves!" sobbed Nakayama #3.

"Cut with the bull!" Ryuji snapped. "I was gone for one day and none of you even tried to talk to them! You guys act tough but you don't even have the gonads to talk to a girl! Pathetic!"

"We…we do so!" shouted Nakayama #1. "We were just wary of you attacking us for it!"

"Whatever," Ryuji snorted. "Try again when you actually hit puberty."

"Enough!" shouted Nakayama #3. "Fire!"

All three of them pulled the triggers to their nozzles. Nothing came out though. Instead, the hoses bulged like balloons before exploding in a gray ooze that covered the three up to their waists. It hardened almost instantly even in the rain.

"What the-?!" cried Nakayama #2

"Thus the virtue of fighting instead of talking," Ryuji smirked. "While you guys were busy trying to not look like pansies, I threw some rocks into the nozzles of your guns. Pretty cool huh?"

"CURSE YOU!!"

* * *

"Who are you and what are you doing in my train?" demanded Kenzaki as he saw the strange man seated in the dining car of the GaroLiner. He was dressed like the Mad Hatter of Alice in Wonderland fame and drinking a cup of tea.

"Oh, just a simple businessman and merchant. I buy and sell things. You can even call me a trader," stated the strange man.

"Well, if you don't have a ticket then get off," ordered Kenzaki. "I'm not in the mood for new people."

"I don't have a ticket, but I do have this," said the man as he tossed a card at Kenzaki who snatched it out of the air.

"Topper?" Kenzaki read. "That's it? That's your name?"

"Yes, and like I said I'm a businessman. I may be able to help you even with your…problems," said Topper with a smile.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying," stated Kenzaki.

"You wish for the girl you love to stop loving your enemy," stated Topper bluntly causing Kenzaki to go rigid. "Unfortunately this enemy is also a member of her family. Sister, perhaps?"

"How do you know?" Kenzaki growled. Was this guy some weird stalker?

"Oh, I have my ways, but I can help you get what you desire…for a price," smirked Topper before sipping his tea. "And the price shall be equal to the desire."

"Before we agree on the price, why don't you tell me what these…services include," said Kenzaki, sitting across from Topper.

"Anything your little heart desires," smirked Topper. "If you want her to love you and only you, I can arrange that. If you want the person who is the cause of this conflict to be…taken care of, then I can arrange for that too. If you want her to be completely and utterly devoted to you then I can arrange for that as well…" He pushed a sheet of paper, a contract, towards Kenzaki, "But you must also sign a contract with me that will free me from all responsibilities if anything were to go wrong. The responsibility will fall on you. Also, you must pay with something of equal value to your desire."

Kenzaki grabbed the contract and looked it over. Topper was slightly surprised. Most people would jump at the chance to get their heart's desire, no matter the price. But this man was taking a very business oriented approach to the situation. "Not interested," Kenzaki stated simply before handing the sheet to Topper, unsigned.

"Are you sure?" asked Topper.

"Asking for your help would be like selling my soul to the Devil. Letting you take care of my problems is the coward's way. I won't do it. This is between myself and Neko," said Kenzaki.

"I could sense your desperation," said Topper as he rolled up the contract. "I wouldn't be here if you weren't desperate for a solution."

"I'm still not interested. I'll take care of this myself," said Kenzaki firmly.

Finishing his cup, Topper turned it over and placed it on the saucer. "As you wish. If you change your mind you know how to contact me." He got up, thanked Shiori for the tea, and walked out of the train before leaving a cryptic message, "I'll be back."

"Don't go near her either," warned Kenzaki with his back facing Topper.

"Her?" Topper wondered aloud.

"You say you sense desperation. Well, do not go near her," warned Kenzaki.

Topper gave a neutral look before answering, "Very well. I won't go near her. But if she seeks me out herself then it's not my fault." He stepped off the train and vanished.

Kenzaki looked at where the man once stood. "I don't like this. Not one bit."

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" said Benitora happily as he dug into the slice of cherry pie Hikari had placed before him. He was sitting in Hikari's family's shop. He was a regular there and considered to be one of their best customers. Hikari then sat across from him.

"So, Tora-kun, do you know what happened a few days back?" asked Hikari.

"Hm, not really. I know that there was a lot of Reiatsu being thrown around and a lot of fighting," said Benitora. He took a bite of the pie and grinned widely. "This tastes great!" For some reason, this was the only way he could enjoy sweet things. Whenever he ate spirits, he always went after the evil, bitter ones. This may have taken out a lot of his strength, but he didn't care. So what if he was a picky eater?

"You mean you didn't go see the fight?" asked Hikari.

"Nope," said Benitora. "I needed to make sure Hikari-chan was safe."

* * *

"So, are you willing to do anything to be back with him?" asked Topper. He was sitting across from Neko at a table in Radish. In front of her was the contract that she would sign and guarantee her wish would be granted. She nodded. "Then, place your signature." She was about to press the tip of the pen on the dotted line when a glove covered hand held her wrist in a firm yet gentle grip. She looked up to see whose hand it was and gasped when she saw him.

"Ken…kun?" she questioned.

Kenzaki turned to glare at Topper, "Bastard, I told you to stay away from her."

"She came to me," answered Topper casually as he took a scoop of ice cream into his mouth. "It's not my fault. I told you that I will find people who are in desperation. Usually they are the ones who come looking for me." He took another scoop, "And this is a simple business transaction and doesn't concern you. It's not like you care for her."

"I do care," Kenzaki insisted.

"And yet you tried to make her choose between you and family," countered Topper. "Not really fair, is it?"

"I don't want to hear that from someone who makes a living on others' suffering." growled Kenzaki. "Even if we're no longer together, Neko is still my most precious person. If you do anything that could possibly harm her, I will destroy you."

"Suffering? Moi? People bring suffering only upon themselves," smiled Topper casually. "I merely provide solutions…for a price."

"Well, like I said, I'm not buying and neither is she," said Kenzaki before pulling Neko from her seat and dragging her away. Topper watched and then gripped his glass before pouring the melted ice cream into his mouth. He then wiped his mouth clean.

"Hm…"

* * *

"What was that about, Ken-kun?" demanded Neko. "Don't you want us back together again?"

"Not like this. Not by taking the easy way out, Neko," said Kenzaki sadly. "I thought you knew better."

"I just…" she trembled. "I wanted you back. I was desperate. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were."

"But for that we need to sort ourselves out, not sell our souls," Kenzaki retorted. "That guy…he was going to take something for giving you something. Whatever it was would be…"

"Of equal value," Neko finished. "He told me and I was willing to do it."

"Still…are you willing to sell your soul to just be with me again?"

"Yes…I would. I love you so much Ken-kun and I would do anything just to be back with you again!" she cried as she swung her arms up to hold him. However she was shocked when he caught her arms, keeping them from latching on to him.

"Then you know what you need to do."

"But Ken-kun, I want to be together with you and you want to be back with me! Can't we just put this behind us and move on?"

"I can't, Neko. I trusted you, more than anyone else I've ever known, but you betrayed me. I love you, I truly do, but I don't know if I can ever trust you again."

* * *

**ZK Chromedragozoid: Things aren't looking so good for the Riders, are they?**

**Ten-Faced Paladin: Okay, here's another update. Things are really getting testy aren't they?**

**Shadow Element 13: Oh no! Things are getting even worse for Kenzaki and Neko. And now Kat's working with Nanimo. Things are not looking up right now.**


	24. Reconciliation of Hearts

Kenzaki was at the shoe lockers, getting his shoes on quickly so he could leave. He didn't want to spend another minute here more than he should. Being in the same building with Neko and Kat was suffocating. One was a girl who'd broken his heart and the other was a girl he hated.

"Leaving so soon?" asked Ryuji. He was leaning against the lockers as he watched Kenzaki.

"The sooner the better. Outta my way," said Kenzaki as he tried to walk past Ryuji.

"Koto-chan was hoping we could all hang out at the Radish but I'm guessing you won't be interested, right?" Ryuji questioned.

"I said move," growled Kenzaki. "The sooner I take care of Nanimo, the sooner I can leave and then we can all move on with our lives."

Ryuji snapped his fingers and ice froze Kenzaki's feet to the ground. "Not until you and I have this talk."

Kenzaki easily broke himself out of the ice. "You know you can't hold me, but if it's the only way out without force, then let's talk.

"Look, I can understand that you hate Kat. Frankly, I'm surprised that you haven't killed her yet after all the crap she's put you through. But to take this out on Neko-nee is a bit unfair," said Ryuji.

Kenzaki rebutted, "I'm not taking it out on her. I gave her a choice, she made it. That simple."

Ryuji argued, "You're being selfish and unreasonable. You were trying to make her choose between you and her own family."

Kenzaki scoffed, "Don't give me that. I know family is important to her, but it ain't the most important thing in the world."

"It is to her. When our father disappeared, all she had was family."

"Look, I don't give a damn about family. If I did, do you think I'd be hunting down my own brother?"

"I guess you're right. But, when the time comes, could you bring yourself to kill him?" Kat has had many chances to kill Ryuki in the past. She just never did because deep down she still loved him.

"If need be, I'll kill him," said Kenzaki, his voice full of conviction.

"Easier said than done. But, if family ties aren't that important to you then that means Kumiko and your Imagin are just tools to you. And that you never thought of Gou as your dad, either," countered Ryuji.

"Wrong, they aren't tools," denied Kenzaki. "They are my family and they are important, but I would never put them before Neko, and they know that."

"Everyone has different priorities. Do you know Neko nearly got herself killed fighting an Imagin when her synch with Gekiryuken failed?" Ryuji told him, surprising Kenzaki. "She's hurting. She loves you but her fondest wish is for you to love all of her. Kat is part of her. She wants you to accept her darker side."

"I do love all of her, but Kat isn't part of her, not anymore," said Kenzaki.

"That doesn't change the first 19 years of their lives. They were inseparable, literally, when they were one person. Tell me, if Neko ever merged with Kat again and Neko was the dominant personality, would you still love her?"

"Of course I would."

"Even if a little bit of Kat comes out?"

"Even then."

"You can say it so easily now, but when you see Kat on her own you hate her and yet you love Neko. They share the same face, heart and soul, but different parts of each."

"That's because they are two separate people. It's easy for me to hate Kat because she has no guilt, no shame for her actions. As far as I'm concerned, there is no difference between Kat and THAT monster."

Ryuji sighed, "Suit yourself, but if you continue to hurt Neko-nee's innocent heart like this, then you're the monster here."

"Are you honestly comparing me to Kat?" growled Kenzaki.

Ryuji pointed out, "You've both hurt Neko-nee because of your own selfish desires. I don't see much of a difference here."

"Look, Neko made HER choice. She chose a CRIMINAL over someone she claimed to love."

Ryuji countered, "Because you MADE her choose. You may tolerate Kat, barely, but what Neko wants is for you to accept Kat." Ryuji turned away. "I'm going to see Koto-chan. See you later, Garoh."

Kenzaki began to walk away. "Screw off, Ifrit. Tell Neko she can get a ride back to her universe with Kat when this is over with."

* * *

"**RECONCILIATION OF HEARTS**"

* * *

Kat was in the girls' bathroom at school. She'd wanted to go to Radish with her family but then her phone had rung. She'd excused herself to take this call in private.

"I thought I told you not to call me at school," said Kat to her mysterious employer.

"_You are under my employ now_," said Nanimo. "_If you wish to receive payment, you will do things according to my schedule, not yours._"

"Fine, so, what do you want me to do?" asked Kat.

"_Isn't that obvious, you are to kill Kenzaki Tsukuba_."

"I can't just kill him like that. He's not exactly someone I can sneak up to. He can sense me coming a mile away," explained Kat.

"_When you arrive at your apartment, there will be a package there. Open it when you are sure you're alone. It will give you the rest of the plan, as well as the required materials to finish the job_."

"OK. I will. Just make sure I get paid in advanced. Half now and half when I'm done."

"_As we agreed_."

Kat shut off the link and sighed. "Looks like I got a job to do."

* * *

"You are completely and utterly shameless, you know that?" said Ryuji without hiding his disgust as he filled up Kat's cup with coffee. She had stopped by at the Radish to see her little brother in uniform and laugh. Also, Rose, Cathy and Bobby were accompanying her as well. Both Cathy and Bobby were having ice cream sundaes while Rose herself was having a cup of tea.

"I get that a lot," said Kat nonchalantly as she drop several cubes of sugar into her coffee before adding some creamer.

Kotonoha frowned. "How can you be so uncaring about this?" asked Kotonoha.

"It's easy. I just don't mull over it," replied Kat.

"And you're still with her because of why, exactly?" Ryuji asked Rose.

"Life isn't so dull with her around," said Rose calmly. She gave Kat a look, "But even I have to agree that you've gone way too far this time, Kitty-Kat."

"Hey, it was Kenny that broke up with Neko-chan," said Kat. "That has nothing to do with me."

"That's bull and you know it," Ryuji frowned. "They wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you."

"If they really loved each other than they would've been able to work things out. Since he decided to just leave her, it just proved that he's not good enough if he's willing to throw away a relationship with her," Kat reasoned.

"You don't have any guilt or a conscience, do you?" questioned Ryuji rhetorically.

"Sure I do," Kat answered, "It just doesn't apply to Kenny."

Rose sighed and said, "Kat, your sister's been crying in her sleep since he broke up with her. Don't you have any remorse?"

"She'll get over it," said Kat as she took another sip of her coffee. "I did after Takada cheated on me."

"Well, Neko-nee isn't you," Ryuji pointed out. "You may have shared the same body for years, but she's her own person now."

"Whatever," muttered Kat.

"When I found out Makoto-kun was cheating on me," began Kotonoha. Ryuji frowned. Whenever she thought back to that time, she always looked so sad. Kotonoha took in a deep breath and repeated, "When I found out he was cheating on me, I tried to deny it." She gave Ryuji a smile, "Luckily for me I had someone help me get over it."

Kat bristled a little at those words. Sure she wanted Neko to get over Kenzaki, but at this rate, it didn't look possible.

The group turned silent as a certain sliver-haired bounty hunter entered the restaurant. One of the waitresses came up and took his order. "Coffee" he said simply as he just sat there. He looked over and noticed the group staring at him. "What?" he growled.

"Well, well, well," sneered Kat as she spun in her seat to look directly at Kenzaki. "Look at what the dog dragged in."

"Thought you weren't coming," said Ryuji, recalling his previous invitation.

"I needed some coffee. I would have it on the GaroLiner but I can't stand Kumiko's yelling or Buraki's whining," answered Kenzaki. "If you guys wanna talk, go ahead and talk, I don't care."

"I don't feel like sitting here anymore," Kat bristled as she got off her seat. "I'm outta here." She placed her money on the counter and left for the door and bumped into Sekai. "Sekai?"

"Sorry, I'm late!" Sekai apologized. She'd been at Makoto's and lost track of time.

"Hey, Kat," greeted Nanami. Present as well were Hikari, Benitora, Siera, Rina and Setsuna.

"I like your uniform," complimented Rina before she thought, '_Wonder what you look like without it?_' as she undressed Ryuji with her eyes.

"You look very handsome in it," Siera said as she looked upon her fiancé with a blush on her face.

"Thanks," Ryuji said offhandedly.

"Oh, you all came," smiled Kat. "Sorry about this, but I gotta bail."

"Aren't we going to hang out?" asked Hikari hopefully.

"I remembered I had something to do," said Kat. "See ya at school tomorrow." She walked past them and went out the door.

Kenzaki couldn't take it with seeing so many familiar faces from school in Radish. So, after he finished his drink, he left money on the counter and left the place while the others hung out with Sekai, Ryuji and Kotonoha serving them.

"I'm out of here," he muttered. "It's getting too crowded for me here."

Ryuji could only watch as both Kenzaki left the restaurant right after Kat did. Kotonoha herself hoped they didn't get into a fight.

* * *

The following day, Ryuji was pissed off. As in incredibly, ready to blow up like a volcano and destroy Pompeii, pissed off. Kenzaki had broken his sister Neko's heart for the last time. OK, so Kat was responsible for the chain of events leading to that but he thought that Kenzaki was mature enough to let it go and work things out with Kat. Obviously, he was wrong.

In class, Ryuji had to rein in his temper so that he didn't attack Kenzaki whenever he laid eyes on him. Neko was sitting there, all heartbroken and with the same lifeless eyes Kotonoha had when Makoto had broken her.

It was the drawback of the Hasuma Imprint. Whenever a Hasuma fell in love, they imprinted on that person and would remain faithful. Sometimes it was fragile but other times it was firm. Hasuma's who imprint on someone who'd stolen their hearts would often grow obsessed with the object of affection and sometimes even dangerously so. It became worse when said object of affection died and the imprint still holds. It would explain how Ryuga turned evil after his Jinx's death.

Ryuji had imprinted on Kotonoha and had changed for the better. He would never break her heart or betray her, and vice versa. They were completely in love and faithful with each other.

Still, Kenzaki couldn't ignore how he was hurting Neko. Even with Gekiryuken, she was slowly breaking down. She needed and wanted him.

If words couldn't get through to Kenzaki, then maybe his fists could.

* * *

Warren was in the staff room with Ryuji standing in front of him. "You want to challenge Kenzaki to a match?"

"Today, after school, in the gym," Ryuji confirmed, "I need you to referee."

"I don't know," Warren answered as he rubbed the back of his head. "As a teacher I should put a stop to this."

"You know you can't," Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "All you can do is referee to keep things fair."

"I can set the rules, stipulations and limits, right?" Warren inquired.

"Whatever," Ryuji crossed his arms. "Just be there to referee."

"I got a lot of work, Ryuji. You know, final exams preparations," Warren reminded.

"I know, but take a few hours off your schedule to help out a few friends," requested Ryuji. "Now, I need to go."

Warren watched as Ryuji walked out the staff room and sighed. Rachel walked up to her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder. She said, "You're going to have to stop this."

"I know, but my hands are tied," Warren sighed. "I just hope those two don't end up destroying the gym. Knowing them, they would go all out and say, 'screw the rules'."

Rachel agreed, "That sounds like them."

* * *

Ryuji walked past Kenzaki in the hallway and whispered the challenge so that only Kenzaki would hear, "Gym, after school, be there."

"Fine," replied Kenzaki, accepting the challenge. They both went down their opposite ways in the hallway.

* * *

Word somehow got out about the challenge. Actually, Kat was the one who spread the word. Again she'd broken into the broadcast room and announced the fight that was going to take place in the gym. Now, Kotonoha was worried for Ryuji. Siera and Rina were also voicing their concerns. The one Rider, human girl, and two princesses were sitting on the roof having lunch. Ryuji looked completely unfazed about the upcoming fight while the three girls stared at him in worry.

"You can't go through with this!" spoke Siera worriedly.

"Yeah, I can't have my future hubby getting himself killed," added Rina, which made Kotonoha glare at the demon princess.

"It's going to be fine," said Ryuji confidently.

"But, Kenzaki-san has more experience with his JyuKen style," clarified Kotonoha. "I know you're strong, Ryuji-kun, but I think Kenzaki-san is stronger."

Ryuji snorted, "We'll see about that."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kat was profiting over the upcoming fight. She'd gone around school collecting bets and well a lot of them had confidence that Ryuji would win. Those that bet against Ryuji were member of those three fanclubs: the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB.

"Ah, money, money, money," Kat sang, "Makes the world go round, in a rich woman's world."

Rose sighed and shook her head. "What if Kenzaki wins?"

Kat frowned. She would never admit it but Kenzaki was a lot stronger than she was. Heck, he was probably stronger than Ryuji. Of course, the true purpose of this fight was to forcefully convince Kenzaki to get back together with Neko. "Well, either way, I'm gonna make some money."

"You bet on both of them, didn't you?" Rose questioned.

"Of course," nodded Kat. "How else do you think I gamble?" She chuckled.

* * *

After the final bell, all the students assembled at the gym. They were all interested to watch the match being held between Ryuji and Kenzaki. The students all stood around within the interior of the gym, waiting for both fighters to arrive. Neko was feeling anxious as she stood along with her friends. Kat too was present with Rose, Cathy and Neko. The female Saint Beast Rider was just interested to see if this match would be something fun to see and to collect her winnings once a victor was confirmed.

Soon, Kenzaki arrived, dressed in his bounty hunting clothes. He wore a pair of black jeans, a blue t-shirt, tennis shoes, and gloves. Over his body he wore a metallic silver trench coat. He eyed all the students and scowled. "I thought this was just going to be between me and Ryuji."

Kumiko, who'd entered with him said, "Word got out so everyone came to watch."

Kenzaki huffed, "Fine, as long as nobody interferes." He saw Neko and averted his eyes. '_Damn it. Why is she here?_'

The KLLA, SSSS and LLRB were cheering on Kenzaki. Because they all disliked Ryuji, they decided to cheer on the opposition, much to Kenzaki's annoyance. He didn't want them cheering him on. He would prefer if nobody cheered him on at all.

The door on the opposite end of the gym opened too and Ryuji entered. He too was dressed for the occasion. He wore a black sleeveless Chinese shirt, baggy blue plants, black slippers and a white sash around his waist. His black hair was braded and he too sported gloves, though these were missing fingers. Entering along with him were his three fiancées; Siera, Rina and Kotonoha. As far as Kotonoha was concerned, she was his true fiancée but she managed to make peace with Siera and Rina…at least for now.

At the sight of him, all three fanclubs booed but then silenced when he glared at them. They had been sent to the hospital before and weren't looking forward to it again. Ryuji alone had beaten them all up without breaking a sweat or even injury.

Kotonoha, Siera and Rina all went to join the spectators as the two fighters approached each other. Ryuji and Kenzaki glared at each other before the DynoLiner's Rider spoke, "So, I see you came dressed for this fight."

"You too," stated Kenzaki. He slipped off his coat and tossed it away. He had his skin covered in special waterproof body paint to hide his abnormal skin condition. "So, when do we start?"

"This is an official match, so I asked for someone to referee for us," said Ryuji as Warren walked in between the two boys. He glanced at both before clearing his throat.

"You know, I feel that this is a bad idea," stated Warren, giving his opinion of the matter, "But, if you both really want to fight, then at least allow me to state the rules."

"I have no objections," said Kenzaki.

"Ditto for me," agreed Ryuji.

Warren nodded before he announced, "This is an official match between Ryuji Hasuma and Kenzaki Tsukuba! As referee, it is my duty to set the rules of this match! Neither competitor is allowed to use weapons or lethal force! The loser is the first one to fall unconscious, forfeit, or unable to stand after the 10 second count! Is that understood?" Kenzaki and Ryuji nodded, signalling that both understood. "Alright," Warren sighed. "Bow to your opponent," he instructed and both fighters did before going into their stances. Finally, he shouted out as he stepped back into the crowd, "Begin!"

As soon as Warren said that, the two were immediately upon each other and exchanging bone-shattering blows. The moves they were using would be lethal on normal people but neither of them was normal to begin with. Ryuji wasn't human and possessed an accelerated healing factor while Kenzaki possessed invulnerable steel skin and the inability to feel pain. However, he could still feel the pressure of Ryuji's blows as they both fought. Whenever their blows connected, the sound echoed through the gym.

The spectators were treated to a show of skill, violence, and brutality, as both Kenzaki and Ryuji fought with all they had. Kotonoha, however, felt concerned and wanted this to stop but she knew there was no way to stop this when it started. All she could do was watch.

Kenzaki's elbow met with Ryuji's solar plexus but that didn't slow the Orphenoch down. Instead, Ryuji retaliated with a direct punch to Kenzaki's chest and followed by a violent uppercut. Kenzaki recovered quickly and used a roundhouse kick that Ryuji dodged by flipping backwards but Kenzaki was faster and managed to hit Ryuji in mid-flip, striking his back with a brutal forward punch that would break anyone's spine but Ryuji was able to absorb the blow as he landed on his knees and performed a sweep kick to knock Kenzaki off balance. He then lunged at Kenzaki and performed a rapid fire punch attack that Kenzaki had trouble dodging and could only block.

Kat could sense that both were holding back their Ki and she couldn't blame them. If they released their Ki, even the normal students would sense a hint of it. Normal humans may not be sensitive to Ki, but even a large amount of it could be detected by them, especially in incredible amounts. Still, her eyes did catch a flicker of violet Fierce Ki around Kenzaki and a flicker of golden Mythical Ki around Ryuji. She clenched her fists. When was the real show going to start?

The rest of the students were awed and were cheering both fighters on. The KLLA, SSSS and LLRB were cheering on Kenzaki with Taisuke in the lead. As much as Ryuji tried to tune those idiots out, he was slowly growing annoyed and his Mythical Ki was reacting to his irritation, which made his eyes turn gold for only a second.

Kenzaki himself could feel the wolf within him growing restless. It wanted to be freed but Kenzaki wasn't going to let it. The last time it'd happened he'd turned into a beast and no matter how powerful he'd been in that form, he was not going to let it control him. He would fight as himself and win as himself.

Bone breaking blows were continuously exchanged by the two, with no mercy whatsoever. It was clear that even if both were holding back much of their potential, they weren't taking it easy on each other at all. However, the level of mastery was clearly evident. While Ryuji was a mere practitioner of the Mythical Beast-Fist, Kenzaki was almost a master of his Fierce Beast-Fist. It was only a matter of time before a winner emerged.

Kotonoha cringed as she watched the fight continue. She could see the bruises forming on Ryuji before they started to fade and also the blood on his clothes. Neko was also watching with worry as Kenzaki received all of Ryuji's attacks without flinching. Just because he couldn't feel, didn't mean he couldn't be injured. There could be internal injuries that he couldn't feel.

Kat, however, was still watching impassively and she also noticed that Benitora was watching the fight with a high degree of interest. As an Arrancar, he could detect Reiatsu, which was just another fancy word for Ki or Life Energy, but all the same he could still see it and what he saw was the Ki within Ryuji and Kenzaki being released in small amounts. It was getting hard for her to pay attention too with all the yelling the spectators were making. They didn't quite understand the amount of power both Ryuji and Kenzaki really had.

Now, things were about to go into overdrive as both ran alongside each other before jumping ten feet into the air, their limbs a blur as they struck at each other. Neither of their blows was connecting as they blocked each other. The landed on the floor, hands grappling, as they began to push with all their might. Kenzaki even cracked a smile, "I'm impressed. You're still able to fight after all this."

"That's the perks of an accelerated healing factor," replied Ryuji as he grunted, "I can just keep going and going."

"Well, this fight has to end sometime. How about releasing some more of our Ki?" suggested Kenzaki as his Violet Fierce Ki flared out. It was invisible to those who couldn't sense Ki.

Ryuji silently agreed as his Golden Mythical Ki came out in the form of a blaze that engulfed his body. Again, this was invisible to those who couldn't sense Ki. However, they could still feel a pressure being released.

Kotonoha, while a normal human being, was able to sense Ki with Athena's help. With Athena's assistance, she could see the Ki both fighters were releasing. "Ryuji-kun…"

"Woah," Rina whistled. "Now that's the kind of man I want as my husband." Kotonoha sent her a glare.

"But, I do hope he survives," added Siera worriedly.

"Heck, he'll be fine," Rina said confidently. "He can win this." She asked Kotonoha, "Isn't that right?" Kotonoha remained silent. "Kotonoha?"

"Benitora-kun, what do you see?" Hikari asked her boyfriend. She'd learnt about her boyfriend's true identity and accepted him, while also learning about his abilities. He could sense Reiatsu, which was spiritual energy, and judging by the intensity in his eyes she knew he could see something.

"A lot of Reiatsu being released by the two of them," he answered seriously.

Ryuji then fell backwards and then threw his legs upwards to smash into Kenzaki's gut, dislodging their hands and sending him flying into the ceiling. He flipped back to his feet and jumped up, fist drawn back. "You're mine!" Ryuji roared in triumph before throwing his fist.

**PAP!**

However, Kenzaki caught it. "Now YOU'RE mine!" Kenzaki barked back before grabbing Ryuji painfully by the shoulder. He dug his knee into Ryuji's gut, causing him to grunt, before they both plummeted to the ground.

**CRASH!**

The force of the crash caused the floorboards to break on impact and the two fell right through a hole in the ground. The other students watched and Kotonoha went to Warren, urging him to go check on them. "Warren-sensei! Please, see if they're alright!"

Warren looked towards the hole, the dust around it settling, before saying, "They're fine."

"Huh?"

To confirm, both Ryuji and Kenzaki leapt out of the hole and resumed their fight. Though both sported cuts and bruises, Ryuji's were slowly healing as Kenzaki only sported wounds on his face. They weren't very deep but there was blood running down his face from his hairline. Both were panting and Ryuji spat out some blood along with a tooth that had been loosened. He popped his neck from side to side and flexed his fingers. "I could do this all day."

"Don't you have a job?" asked Kenzaki as he got into a stance.

"Youko-san will understand," replied Ryuji as he too got into a stance. "If not then I'll apply for a day off."

"Well, I hope you'll get plenty of days off once I'm done with you," remarked Kenzaki.

"We'll see. I hope they free a bed at the hospital," Ryuji's eyes narrowed, "For you."

Kenzaki howled as Ryuji roared before they charged at each other.

"Aren't they getting tired?" Otome asked as she watched the fight. This was unlike anything she'd ever seen in real life. This kind of action only existed in martial arts movies.

"Both of them don't seem to know the meaning of the word," said Setsuna. She knew that the two could take far worse than this. They were Kamen Riders and fought monsters for a living.

"Still, they shouldn't be able to stand after something like that," said Makoto.

"You'd be surprised," murmured Setsuna.

Kenzaki jumped back and dusted himself off. "Hm, I guess I should get serious," said Kenzaki. He took a deep breath and the floorboards beneath him began to creak and crack.

Ryuji glared at him. "Don't screw with me!" he roared as he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Kenzaki's head. A sickening crack was heard as he connected.

"That would be the sound of your leg breaking," said Kenzaki, completely calm. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that Ryuji's foot was still on his grunted as he indeed felt the bones of his leg breaking and the pain was finally registering in his brain. Still, his incredible healing factor would mend the bones quickly so he could follow up with another attack. Kenzaki grabbed the foot that was in his face and gave it a twist that sent Ryuji spinning and falling flat on his face. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself back up to look over his shoulder and glare at Kenzaki. "Give it up," said Kenzaki as he popped his neck from left to right. "You can't win. The difference in our skill is wide. It's always the more experienced fighter that wins."

"We'll see," growled Ryuji as he picked himself back up and rolled his ankle, making sure it was properly healed. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them wide, revealing that his blue irises had turned gold and the pupils had narrowed into slits. He took in a deep breath and began calling on his Mythical Ki reserves. "Only one of us is going to be left standing."

"You talk big," said Kenzaki. '_Damn it, Ryuji. Just quit_.' He really didn't want to hurt his friend. Though they hadn't gotten along at first, they'd developed a mutual respect for one another. He didn't want to lose that. Despite Ryuji's Orphenoch healing factor, it could only go so far, and Kenzaki didn't want to have to cripple his friend just so a point could be proven. He eyed the crowd. The only person Kenzaki wanted to fight was in the crowd and looking smug. It was Kat's fault all this was happening. It was always her fault.

OK, he had done some thinking and it was _partly_ his fault, but it had all began with Kat nonetheless. Gripping his fists and going into a stance, he prepared himself to receive Ryuji's final blow. "Don't disappoint me," Kenzaki said.

Ryuji gave a nod and closed his eyes for a second before they snapped wide open, blazing gold as he rushed at Kenzaki. He threw punch after punch, which Kenzaki easily blocked with his forearms but Kenzaki was still being pushed back by each hit. Ryuji started to put more force into his punches, bone shattering force, in order to put down Kenzaki once and for all. The hits connected with the sound of thunder that echoed through the gym and it was starting to scare Kotonoha.

Kenzaki looked like he was starting to get annoyed. Ryuji just kept coming. Kenzaki wanted to end this fight without seriously hurting Ryuji, but it didn't look like Ryuji was giving him an option. Kenzaki lifted up his leg and kicked Ryuji in the ribs, shattering a couple of them and sending the Rider sliding backward.

Ryuji gathered all his remaining Ki in his fist, prepared to deliver a finishing blow. He charged forward and threw his fist forward, connecting with Kenzaki's face. Ryuji smirked before he grimaced and staggered backward. He looked down and saw that his stomach had caved in on itself. Kenzaki had landed a punch directly into his gut. He coughed up blood as he fell to his knees. His eyes turned back to their normal color as the golden Genki glow faded from them. "This…isn't…over…" he groaned.

"Yes, it is," said Kenzaki as his opponent fell forward and passed out.

Kotonoha, Rina and Siera were immediately at Ryuji's side, extremely concerned for his wellbeing. They all glared at Kenzaki at the same time and he turned away from their glares. Warren then sadly announced the winner, "The winner of this match, by a knockout, is Kenzaki Tsukuba."

However, Kenzaki had already gone by then, having walked out of the gym after beating Ryuji and walking through the crowd who'd departed to give him room. He was in no mood to talk to anybody. Neko watched him go and sighed sadly.

* * *

"Ken-kun, are you alright?" asked Neko, the concern in her voice obvious. Both were standing in the hallway. Neko had exited the infirmary to see Kenzaki there. Either he was worried for Ryuji or just needed to be checked out.

"I'm fine. I can't feel, remember?" stated Kenzaki.

"I know, but you may have internal injuries. Maybe you should go get them checked out," suggested Neko.

"I said I'm fine. You should check on Ryuji. After all, isn't your family more important than me?" said Kenzaki, reminding Neko about what she had said.

"I did check on him. Warren-sensei says he's doing fine. All he needs is a few days rest and not to strain himself. His healing factor got exhausted during the fight and his Ki reserves are low, but they are replenishing. And, you're important to me too, it's just…"

He finished, "It's just your family is more important."

Neko clenched her fists. "I wonder if the fact you can't feel means you can't feel anything at all," she spat. She then turned away and walked off.

"Neko…wait," said Kenzaki, but she was gone. "Damn it, why is this so hard?"

"Well, well, well, looks like you blew another chance, Kenny," taunted Kat.

Kenzaki quickly grabbed Kat by the throat, holding her in the air. "Not now, you bitch…Neko ain't here to save your ass this time so I suggest you don't piss me off!" warned Kenzaki.

Kat ported out of his grip and massaged her sore neck. "I didn't come here to be harassed. I just came to thank you for making me a very rich woman today." She then showed off some of her profit from her betting on Kenzaki. "Want some?"

"No, I just did what I had to. I don't want your filthy money. And…tell Neko that we need to talk," he said.

"She'll talk when she's ready," said Kat, smirking smugly. "Anyway, my plan to break you both up is working pretty well and ironically I have you to thank for it. She'll get over you, sooner or later, and judging by the way you treat her I'm betting sooner. In the meantime, watch out for those fanboys. They've been looking to carry you on their shoulders for defeating Ryuji." She laughed and teleported away, scattering the money in the air as it fell down around Kenzaki.

"I hate her," muttered Kenzaki as he walked away.

"KENZAKI TSUKUBA!" called out the KLLA leader.

"What?" growled Kenzaki as he turned around.

The SSSS Leader then joined in, "YOU HAVE DEFEATED RYUJI HASUMA FOR US!"

The LLRB leader finished by saying, "LET US CARRY YOU ON OUR SHOULDERS OUT OF GRATITUDE!"

Kenzaki glared at them and growled, "Touch me, and you'll wish I was Ryuji."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryuji was in the infirmary and had just woken up, his shirt had been removed and he was bandaged all over. The commotion outside had woken him up but he was too sore to more or do anything about it.

"Ugh," Ryuji groaned. "What happened?"

His awakening alerted the three girls who immediately came upon him to check his condition.

"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried happily. "You're awake!"

"How are you feeling, darling?" asked Rina.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked Siera.

Ryuji's temple throbbed from the noise. He had sensitive hearing and their voices were giving him a migraine. He began to tune them out slightly before replying, kindly, "I'm doing fine. So, what happened?" The girls frowned. "What? Why so mum?"

"Actually…" Siera hesitated. "You lost."

The truth crashed down around Ryuji as he clenched the blanket tightly. Ryuji stared down at his bandage covered hands, arms, and body.

"He did a number on me, didn't he?" asked Ryuji.

"You're lucky to be alive," spoke Warren as he entered.

"Sensei," Siera spoke up in surprised.

"Oh, hey, Warren," greeted Ryuji.

"So, all those boys knocked out in the hallway weren't because of you?" questioned Warren as he jabbed at the door with his thumb.

"I guess they may have pissed someone else off," shrugged Ryuji. His grip on the blanket tightened. He knew who Warren was talking about. It was the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB coming to gloat over the fact that he'd lost. Well, when he got back on his feet, he'd show them the error of their ways.

"How are you feeling?" Warren asked.

"I'm fine," answered Ryuji. "You gotta love that accelerated healing factor."

"Right," agreed Warren. "Normal people would be in a body cast."

"Hey, I'll be fine," smirked Ryuji confidently. "Just need some rest and I'll be up kicking ass before you know it." He flexed his arms but groaned in pain from the action.

"I don't think so," Warren objected. "You need more than just a day of rest. As your sempai, I order you to take mandatory leave from fighting the Imagin."

"What?" Ryuji's eyes flashed gold as he got out of bed. He was in boxers which caused Siera to blush as she stared while Rina admired his physique appreciatively. "You gotta be shitting me."

"Language, Ryuji," Warren warned. "You're in the presence of ladies."

Ryuji realized Warren was right, but he was still mad about his superior denying him the right to fight Imagin. This was his world after all. He was assigned to protect it. "But I need to protect this world."

"The other ChronoLiner Riders and I can help cover for you," reminded Warren. "You, however, need to take care of yourself. Accelerated healing factor or not, you still need to rest after taking a beating like that. Which means you can't train until you have recovered completely."

"I can't train either?" Ryuji loved to train, to make himself stronger. Warren was basically neutering him.

"Nope, sorry, but those are my orders," Warren said. He strode over to Ryuji and placed a comforting hand on his junior's shoulder. "Kohai, take a break, and spend time with your girl," he looked at Siera and Rina before correcting himself, "Or girls."

"I got only one girl," said Ryuji with pure conviction and Kotonoha smiled fondly. "No one else."

"Well, just take a week off from fighting and training," Warren instructed. "I don't want one of my friends breaking down on the job."

Ryuji begrudgingly agreed, "Fine."

"Oh, and you might want to get dressed," said Warren as he pointed at Rina. "She looks like she's about to get a nosebleed."

* * *

Back at Kat's apartment, Neko was lying on her stomach in bed while staring at an old picture of herself and Kenzaki together and smiling happily at the camera. "Ken-kun…" she sobbed. Next to her was a Garoh plushie. The Kamen Riders were so popular, even stuffed toys were being made of them. Neko had quickly bought herself a Garoh one and always held it close to her, especially now.

Kat walked in and sat down on the bed. She glared at the picture in Neko's hand and was tempted to rip it to pieces.

"Oh, cheer up," said Kat snappily, pissed that Neko still hadn't gotten over that idiot yet. "The guy ain't worth crying your heart out over. There has to be someone better, right?"

"No, there isn't," sobbed Neko. "I love Ken-kun and only Ken-kun."

"But what's so good about him?" asked Kat, genuinely confused. "I mean, he tried to kill you the first time you met."

"Actually…the first time we met, he saved me," admitted Neko. Kat was surprised, as she had no idea that Kenzaki was the boy from their past, having saved them when they were kids.

"What do you mean?" questioned Kat. "How could he have saved you?"

Neko told Kat the story of how she and Kenzaki first met. How back when she was 7, the 12 year old Kenzaki had pulled her out of the way of a speeding truck.

"That was him?!" shouted Kat in utter disbelief. She wanted to deny it to be true but her sister would not lie to her about something this huge.

"He's the reason we're alive now," said Neko.

"Well…that still doesn't excuse that he put a gun to your head! You could find way better guys!" said Kat. '_Great…now I owe him our lives. Damn._' "I mean why him of all people?"

"Well…he's actually very sweet…" said Neko, remembering their first date.

"Ugh…But he's not right for you. He broke up with you. He doesn't appreciate you at all," Kat argued.

"He does appreciate me…" retorted Neko. "He just thinks that I appreciate you more."

"Well, we did share the same body for the first 19 years of our lives. We're part of each other and we're family,"Kat replied, feeling insulted that Kenzaki could think, or demand of her sister, otherwise.

"I know, but Ken-kun is important to me. I want to put him first in my heart but that would me betraying a member of my family."

"Heart…?" questioned Kat. Kat often wondered if she had a heart or it was just memories of emotions. Just like Ryuji, she was dark. She could never understand the bond Neko and Kenzaki have. "You love him that much? You're willing to do anything to be with him?"

"Hai." Neko answered honestly. "He is The One."

Kat gritted her teeth. Kenzaki was 'The One'? She didn't want to believe and a part of her wanted to believe Neko had made a mistake. She wasn't sure why she hadn't done this before but she decided to synchronise their minds. This way she could be sure that Kenzaki was the right man for her.

She closed her mind and opened the link they shared before diving into Neko's mind. Neko barely felt a thing but still stiffened like a statue with an empty look in her eyes as Kat pried and prodded her memories.

Kat saw all of Neko's memories regarding Kenzaki. She saw their first meeting, how he assisted Neko in rescuing Rose and Cathy, how he risked himself to save Neko and how he fought alongside Neko all this time. She even saw their first real date and how they became an item. She also felt Neko's emotions, all of them were related to Kenzaki. Sometimes Kenzaki would make her feel sad or even angry, but most of the time he made her happy and loved. Kat also experienced the regret Neko felt for what happened to Kenzaki's family in the past and how their blood were still on her…their hands. Kat herself couldn't make herself forget but instead hid it all within the depths of her mind like all her other unpleasant memories.

When Kat was done, she clenched her fists in agitation. She'd seen enough to prove that she was in the wrong all this time.

'_Damn, damn and double damn!' _Kat cursed inside her head. Why did Neko have to imprint on that stupid wolf?! It looked like all her scheming had simply ended up hurting her sister after all…Kat wanted to throw up. "Neko-chan, let me help you get him back."

"It won't matter…" Neko sobbed, the sound of which wrenched horribly at Kat's heart now that she knew Neko really wouldn't get over that Baka-Okami. Shit, she'd really, really screwed up. "Ken-kun is probably already over me…He would never listen to you anyways."

"Neko-chan, please, let me fix this, for both of you," Kat pleaded. She'd messed this up, now she had to make amends. "On my honor, I swear to make you and him an item again…I swear it." Maybe she should tell Neko about the message that Kenzaki wanted to pass on, that he wanted to talk to her.

* * *

The following morning, at school, Kenzaki was standing on the roof, waiting for Neko. He'd been given a message that told him to wait on the roof. It'd been sent by Neko but he suspected that Kat had sent it using Neko's phone. He'd hesitated a little when deciding to come here but if he wanted another shot at a relationship with Neko, he had to take it now when the opportunity came.

Kenzaki's ears picked up footsteps coming from the stairs and then the roof entrance opened. There was Neko and she looked relieved to see him still there. '_Ken-kun!_'

"Hey," said Neko as she arrived on the roof. It was half an hour before the first bell rang and she had come here to talk with Kenzaki, as per Kat's information.

"I'm glad you agreed to talk to me," said Kenzaki.

She nodded, "Yes, but I'm surprised you had Nee-chan pass on the message."

"Well, if she didn't tell you I'm sure she'd say something that'd make me look like an idiot or something."

"Well, you can be an idiot, sometimes," said Neko, bitterly.

"I know," nodded Kenzaki. "So, do you know why I wanted to talk to you?"

"I hope it's about…us," said Neko hopefully.

"It is," replied Kenzaki. She stared hopefully at him and smiled a little. "You know I still care about you, right?"

"Yes, I do, but it hurts how you hate my sister," said Neko.

Kenzaki frowned, "I know. I want to stop hating her, for our sake, but every time I try she goes and does something that makes me hate her even more."

"She's like that. She's overly possessive and territorial. Since I'm part of her, she feels it's her duty to protect me, even if she goes overboard," Neko stated earnestly. "So, you want to get back together? Really?" asked Neko. She really wanted to be with him again.

"I do," answered Kenzaki. "I know things are weird right now, but well...I still want to be with you."

"But how do we make this work?" Neko shuffled her feet, "You know I can't choose anyone over family. It's in my blood, heart and soul. No matter how long we've been apart, Nee-chan and I will always be connected."

Kenzaki admitted, "I saw what our breakup did to you. I'm sorry I caused you so much pain. But…I want to be first in your heart." He looked to the ground, "But, that's impossible, isn't it?"

"Maybe first in my heart as my lover, while Nee-chan is first in my heart as family," answered Neko.

"So, even on the off chance that we do get married, I still wouldn't be considered family?" questioned Kenzaki, sadly.

"No, for now…let's take things slow and start over. When we do get married…if we do get married, you will be family," said Neko. However, she didn't realize that Kenzaki misunderstood what she meant. "I realized that, when we were living together, we became family. I just didn't realize it before. Gomen, Ken-kun." She walked in closer and placed her palms on his cheeks. "Ken-kun, you can't feel pain, right?"

"No, I can't," said Kenzaki.

"Then, what about pleasure?" she asked huskily as she leaned in close.

"I don't know anymore." said Kenzaki solemnly.

"I see…" said Neko, sadness in her voice. '_Then I'll do my best to help you, anyway I can._' Neko then noticed a commotion at the school entrance. "What's that?"

Kenzaki took a look and groaned, "Those idiots again, trying to harass your brother." He thought he'd made it clear by now.

"Well, why don't you go and teach them a lesson?" asked Neko, with a smile.

"No problem," Kenzaki cracked his knuckles.

* * *

At the gate, the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB were blocking Ryuji, Kotonoha, Siera and Rina from entering.

"You guys again?" sighed Ryuji. "OK, if you wanna go back to the hospital so much, that's fine by me."

"Ryuji-kun, remember what Warren-sensei said," reminded Kotonoha. He was still under orders to not exert himself.

"He told me not to fight the Imagin," he told her. "These guys are nothing."

"Need help, little brother?" offered Kat as she showed up.

"It's been a while, I feel like cracking some skulls," said Kenzaki as he too appeared to lend a hand, cracking his knuckles.

Kat glared at Kenzaki; still pissed that Neko had chosen him of all people. She held her tongue though... It was pointless to hurt her sister any further. She felt another spike of guilt which only fuelled her anger.

"Hey, I can handle these guys," said Ryuji, surprised to see Kat and Kenzaki together without getting into an argument. "I'm surprised to see you both here."

"Oh, we know, we know, but…I'm bored," Kat shrugged, playing it cool.

"Same here," nodded Kenzaki. "So, which one do I get?"

"Does it matter? Beat up the guys wearing armbands," Kat scoffed.

"Works for me."

The SSSS, KLLA and LLRB charged with a shout out, "RYUJI HASUMA! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

"IKUZE!!!" roared Ryuji as he, Kat and Kenzaki ran into the hoard.

Up in the staff room, Warren watched from the window and sighed. "Just another day in Sakakino High."

When all was said and done, the three Fanclub members were all sprawled all over school ground, unconscious or in too much pain to move, twitching only a little as they groaned.

"Did you have to hit them all in the nuts?" Ryuji as Kat regarding her methods..

"Perverts deserve it," stated Kat. She enjoyed fighting dirty, but only when the other party decided to do the same. Plus, she needed to work off some of her stress that was fuelling her already foul mood.

"Huh, shouldn't we make sure they're still alive?" asked Kenzaki. He wasn't feeling concerned, but he didn't want to be responsible for killing innocent people, even if they were idiots.

Ryuji and Kat then said, in unison, "They're alive." They could hear the beating of hearts and pulses.

"Good, thought I hit a few of them too hard," said Kenzaki, relieved.

"Heh, they always come back for more," laughed Ryuji.

"Ryuji!" Rina hugged his left arm. "Come on, let's get to class before we're late."

"Yes, he'll be going to class with me!" Kotonoha insisted, grabbing his other arm.

"Piggyback!" Siera jumped onto Ryuji's back, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"Oi! Oi!" Ryuji shouted. "Stop that, hey!"

Kat laughed and then, when she was sure her little brother was out of sight, gave Kenzaki an intense stare. Kenzaki returned the look and responded with a, "What?"

"Take good care of my sister or I will hunt you down and flay you alive," Kat said conversationally. "If you dare screw up and act that stupid again, wolf-boy; I'll slice open that steel stomach of yours with a blowtorch, and remove your guts to hang on my wall." She walked off before Kenzaki could reply. There. She'd given the damn wolf her official blessing. Hopefully Neko would be happy with that.

* * *

Later that night, Kenzaki was walking in the shopping district when he heard a voice he hated just as much as Kat and Sauron's.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" said Topper as he walked out an alley, rolling up a contract before putting it inside his coat pocket. Obviously, he'd made another deal and taken his payment. Kenzaki narrowed his eyes hatefully at Topper. "What, no 'hello'? No 'good evening'?" Topper frowned, upset at the coldness Kenzaki was showing him.

"I thought I made it clear that I didn't want you around anymore," growled Kenzaki. He remembered what Topper had tried to make Neko do the last time. He wasn't about to let this 'devil' sink his teeth into anymore innocent and desperate people.

"I go where desperation takes me," said Topper nonchalantly.

"Well, then go somewhere else," Kenzaki commanded.

"Very well," Topper tipped his hat. "I'll be seeing you." A fog then rolled by and Topper disappeared into it. Kenzaki narrowed his eyes.

"Better keep my eye on him," Kenzaki muttered.

* * *

"You know, it's rare for someone to 'call' me twice," said Topper as he showed up at the park, sitting down on the bench Neko was occupying.

"You said you grant wishes, right?" asked Neko.

"Ojou-sama, don't do this!" warned Gekiryuken but then he found himself silenced when Topper did a 'zip it' motion with his hand. '_Ojou-sama!!!_' Topper didn't like anyone interfering with his deals.

"Yes, I do," nodded Topper. "But, always for a price. What is your wish?"

"I want Ken-kun to be able to feel again," said Neko. She then explained to Topper about Kenzaki's condition.

"So, a disease stripped him of his ability to feel pain and a childhood accident gave him powerful steel covered skin," Topper summarized. "Hm, I guess I can see a problem there. So, your wish is to give him the ability to feel pain again?"

"I want him…" Neko paused, "I want him to be able to feel again." Neko kept thinking that Kenzaki was unable to feel anything because of his condition, not just pain.

"Well, then, here's the contract," said Topper, producing the sheet of paper. "Now, just sign on the dotted line." He produced a pen for Neko too.

"And Ken-kun will be normal again?" Neko asked hopefully.

"As long as you're willing to pay," Topper added.

Neko took the pain and after some reluctance signed on the dotted line.

"And now, let the show begin," said Topper.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Kenzaki knew that scream, "Neko!"

* * *

Neko was lying on the ground, holding herself in intense and agonizing pain. She let out another scream of anguish from the unbelievable pain that was plaguing her body and mind.

"You said you would be willing to pay," Topper said, shaking his head. "Just bear with it for a little while."

"What…what's happening!?" yelled out Neko as she held herself with her face contorted in pain with her tears streaming down her face as the torture continued.

"To take away one's pain also means to bear with it," explained Topper logically, "Equivalent exchange and all." He then heard someone approaching, "And, it sounds like your knight in shining armor is about to arrive."

"Ken…kun…" Neko sobbed.

Kenzaki arrived to see Topper, and Neko screaming her head off on the ground, holding herself in pain. "No…" he uttered.

"It hurts…Ken-kun, it hurts…" sobbed Neko before she screamed again.

Kenzaki glared at Topper. "Reverse it! Now!" he ordered.

"I can't do that," said Topper. "She signed a contract. She wanted to take away your steel skin and your inability to feel pain. Don't worry. She won't feel a thing after a while."

"She'll be dead by then!" roared Kenzaki.

"She was willing to bear the consequences," Topper pointed out.

"Ken-kun…need…love you!" cried Neko as she screamed out in pain. She then passed out from the intense pain that she could no longer bear.

"Ojou-sama!" cried out Gekiryuken, once he regained the ability to speak. "Ojou-sama, wake up!"

"She still loves you despite everything," said Topper. "It's touching. She really is the best that humanity has to offer. A girl willing to sacrifice her own wellbeing for the one she loves. Oh, how romantic." Kenzaki grabbed him by the lapels and got in the Infernal Merchant's face.

"Reverse what you did, now!" Kenzaki demanded.

"Only if we make a deal," answered Topper, unfazed. Kenzaki tossed Topper onto the ground.

"Well, how about I make you leave," said Kenzaki as he summoned the Garoh Belt before extending his hand. "Tenrou!" he called. The sword instantly appeared in his extended hand. Kenzaki placed his sword out in front of him, the blade facing downward. He held out his Rider Pass, positioning it at the hilt of his blade. His blade began to glow. "Lunar Henshin!!" roared Kenzaki as he slid his Rider Pass across the flat of the sword.

"**LUNAR FORM!**" proclaimed the Garoh Belt.

The wind began to howl as silver strands began flowed around Kenzaki. Soon, the clouds moved to reveal a large, bright full moon. The light from the moon shone down upon Kenzaki, encompassing him in its light. The silhouette of his Plat Form appeared before it glowed brightly.

When the light fell away, it revealed Garoh's Lunar Form. His chest was covered with smooth silver and black armor that didn't hinder his movements. Shoulder guards jutted outward and curved at the end. His forearms and hands were protected by silver gauntlets. He was also wearing silver boots with black trimmings. He wore a black bodysuit underneath that, with specks of silver that resembled the night sky. His helmet was also unique. It looked exactly like a ferocious wolf's head, complete with snarling fangs and dark glowing red eyes. A sliver cape cascaded from his shoulders. The only remnant of his previous forms was the Garoh Belt strapped to his waist.

Topper's eyes narrowed as he stared at Garoh donned in his Lunar Form armor. "Ah, so you want to fight. This is going to be fun," smirked the Infernal Merchant. He pulled off his hat and turned it over to reach inside it. The item he took out resembled a hi-tech knuckle duster but with a short triangular blade. Garoh tensed up as he watched the strange man put his hat back on and pull open his coat to reveal a hi-tech belt with a silver circuitry pattern and blood red diamond gem lodged inside.

He put the blade against his hand and slashed through it, covering the edge of the short blade with his blood. The device spoke in a dark demonic voice, "**READY!**"

"Henshin," called out Topper before sliding the blade of the device into the belt.

"**BLADE IN!**"

A silver cross flew out from the belt and placed itself in front of Topper's face. Of course, the cross was inverted and soon a dark suit generated from the cross and enveloped his body. Garoh's eyes widened when he saw the change. A Rider!?

The Rider form Topper took was donned in a black bodysuit decked in pitch black armor. On his chest was an inverted cross which acted as a faceplate for his helmet. The black armor was trimmed in red and covered his forearms and legs with gauntlets and boots. Hanging from his belt were flaps of armor and the belt had slots carrying ornate whistle-like objects.

"Who are you?" questioned Garoh as he gripped his sword tightly.

Topper stated his new name, "Anti-Cross," as a pair of demonic wings spread out from his back and released a demonic aura all around him which pushed Garoh back. "And now, it's time to play." He took the Knuckle-Blade off his belt and brandished it. The blade glowed red and extended as he gripped the device tightly. The demonic wings then hung down his back like a cape as his faceplate opened up in four sections to reveal blood red eyes and a black mouthguard. The faceplate's sections all reconfigured themselves with the bottom sections making their way to the sides of the helmet as the top section twisted downward to create horns.

"Now, if you want me to cancel the contract, you must last at least 5 minutes with me." He got into a stance. "It's show time," said Anti-Cross before he glided towards Garoh at inhuman speeds before striking at him with his blade.

The peace of the night would be disturbed by the clashing of blades, echoing through the silence.

* * *

Warren's head snapped up from the homework he was grading and he stood up quickly. "An Elder?" He ran out of his study and dashed towards the front door, running past Teresa. Teresa blinked as she saw her beloved run out of the apartment in a panic.

* * *

Kenzaki fell at Anti-Cross' feet as his armor vanished. Anti-Cross' armor also vanished as he removed the belt. "Hm…you did last 5 minutes. Well then," he snapped his fingers, "The contract is cancelled." He produced the parchment and it spontaneously combust into flames before the ashes fell to the ground. Neko's skin was slowly turning back to its normal color as the steel skin returned to an unconscious Kenzaki. "And that is that."

"Get away from them," threatened Warren as he appeared. He'd sensed the presence of an Elder and had come to see for himself. What he saw were two of his friends, on the ground, and unconscious. Kenzaki was all bloodied and bruised while Neko looked like she had gone through some sort of painful trauma. "Now."

"Ah, good evening," Topper tipped his hat.

"I'll warn you now," began Warren. "If you ever go near my friends again, I'll kill you myself."

Topper answered, "I'm sorry for the beat down I gave him, but he asked for it. Good night." He was about to walk past Warren.

"I'm not talking about that," growled Warren, halting the Infernal Merchant. Topper locked eyes with the Wraith. "You've gone searching for my kohai multiple times now. You stay away from him. Stay away from Neko. Stay away from all of them. If I sense even a bit of you, I will hunt you down and end your life."

Topper sighed and replied, "They were all calling out to me. Human desperation is a powerful lure. The more powerful it is, the closer I get. I provide a service for a fee. Everyone has something they want and willing to pay anything for it. It's a fact."

"Well, I'm telling you that these people WILL NOT be your customers," established Warren.

"We shall see. For now, My Lord requires my services. Good night." Topper then vanished without a trace.

"I fucking hate Elders," sighed Warren. "Such a pain in my ass." He walked over to Neko and knelt down. "Hey, Neko. Neko, wake up."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she groaned. Her entire body felt sore. "What…happened?" She then caught sight of an injured Kenzaki and gasped. "Ken-kun!" She crawled over to him and got on her knees, her hands covering her mouth. "Ken-kun, what happened? Ken-kun, wake up!"

'_Looks like she doesn't remember the deal_,' thought Warren. He knew how Topper worked. Once a contract was cancelled, ALL traces of it were removed. That included memories of the deal being made.

She sobbed as tears fell from her eyes, "Ken-kun, wake up please…" She could see his eyelids moving. "Ken-kun?"

"Neko…?" asked Kenzaki. "Are you OK?"

"Of course I'm OK! What happened!?"

"Nothing…" smiled Kenzaki. "Nothing at all…" His eyes then closed as he lost consciousness once again.

"Ken-kun!" she shouted. "Ken-kun!!!"

Warren watched as the GaroLiner appeared and Shiori exited, along with the other Imagin and Kumiko. They all helped the distraught girl carry the unconscious Rider into the train before it flew off. Warren didn't care if he wasn't noticed. He didn't want the attention anyway.

Suddenly, he felt an incredibly malevolent Reiatsu floating in the air. "It's a lively night, isn't it," he muttered, right before he teleported.

* * *

Benitora had spent the evening studying with Hikari at the library. Currently, they were on their way home. He had his arm around her as she leaned in against him. It was a warm night but Hikari appreciated the gesture nonetheless. And, it was getting warmer for a different reason.

"Want to stop by my place later, Benitora-kun?" offered Hikari.

"Of course," smiled Benitora. He loved her company as much as he loved the sweets in her family's store.

"Well, well, well," a voice that made Benitora freeze spoke. "What do we have here? Oh, it's the deserter and he's fraternizing with the humans."

He had light blue hair and eyes, which have blue/green lines below them similar to the eye markings on the Panthera genus of cats. His attire consisted of a white hakama and a black sash; his white jacket was ragged with an upturned collar. The inner lining was black, the sleeves were rolled up, and worn open, leaving his chest revealed. What identified him as an Arrancar were the remains of his Hollow mask consisted of the right jawbone which rested on his cheek, and his hollow hole that was in his abdomen.

"Grimmjow…" Benitora looked back at Hikari. "Hikari-chan, RUN!" he shouted. Hikari however was too shocked to move.

Grimmjow grinned that sadistic smile of his. "Got yourself a little friend there eh, Rojotigre?" he asked with malicious glee.

"And you're not laying a hand on her, Grimmjow…" warned Benitora as his eyes turned gold. Rojotigre drew his Zanpakuto out of its hiding place and prepared to fight.

"I see you haven't learnt your lesson," said Grimmjow as he drew out his Zanpakuto as well. "You really are eager to die, aren't you?"

"Hikari-chan!" Rojotigre repeated, "Get out of here! Run!"

"But-" she began.

"RUN!" he shouted and she nodded before running off somewhere to take cover.

The two Arrancar, the former 5th and the present 6th Espada circled each other, gripping their swords tightly. Their eyes burned with intensity as they eyed each other without blinking. One of them had to make a move and indeed they did. They then dashed straight for each other, using Sonido, and cried out as they swung their blades.

"WAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" both Arrancar roared as they prepared to clash.

* * *

Onboard the GaroLiner, Kenzaki was in bed, resting peacefully after having his wounds treated. Neko was in the room with him, sitting in a chair as she watched over him. She had a feeling that this was her fault but she couldn't remember how or why. She only knew that it was her fault, somehow.

She also had the feeling that he'd done something incredibly noble and selfless for her sake. He'd saved her from herself and the pain in her heart. She owed him a whole lot now. She herself had caused him pain as well as pain to herself. If only she'd said 'yes' to his proposal but she didn't feel she'd been ready when he asked.

Now…was she ready? Had she redeemed herself?

"Cheer up," said Gekiryuken. "He'll be fine. He's a tough young lad."

"I know, Geki-chan," agreed Neko. "It's just…I've hurt him too."

"You were in just as much pain as he," corrected Gekiryuken.

"And we have to fix this and move on," said Neko. She leaned down to whisper into his ear, "Ken-kun, the next time you ask, I shall accept your proposal. It's because…I love you." She closed her eyes and move over to press her lips gently against his.

Unbeknownst to Neko, Kenzaki had regained consciousness. He wanted to smile at hearing there may be a future, but decided he'd get some more rest first.

Outside, Buraki had his ear pressed against the door to eavesdrop on Neko while she was with Kenzaki. Unfortunately, Kumiko found him and punished him for it later on.

"ITAI! Kumiko-chan!!!" Buraki cried out.

"Shut up and take your punishment like a man!" Kumiko growled.

"Itai!!!"

"Baka-Imoogi," snorted Okami. The others agreed too.

* * *

Benitora looked up, shocked that Grimmjow's Zanpakuto hadn't connected. What shocked him even more was seeing his teacher, blocking the blade with his own Zanpakuto. "Sensei?" muttered Benitora. Hikari ran over to the injured Arrancar and kneeled next to him.

"Benitora," began Warren, "Stand back. I'll deal with this."

"But he's an Espada," warned Benitora. "He may be the 6th but he's dangerous."

Warren smiled slightly. "Good, that means I might have to break a sweat."

"So, you want to fight me, Shinigami?" asked Grimmjow, looking slightly irked that his fight with Rojotigre had been interrupted.

"That's right, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques," answered Warren.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kat had decided to go and study over at the Katsuras' residence. Well, it was actually an excuse. She loved Loki's cookies and she was able to smell them a mile away. So, she quickly made a teleporting detour to her home, picked up her books, and ported right at their doorstep.

Right now, at the dining table, Kotonoha, Kat and Ryuji were hard at work, studying for their upcoming final exams which were going to take place in less than two weeks. Kat wasn't getting much but Kotonoha was able to explain things to her.

"I thought an evil genius like you could get all this," mocked Ryuji.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. "I wasn't the best at school. The only smarts I had were street smarts."

"Well, street smarts aren't going to help you now," teased Ryuji. Kat gritted her teeth. Maybe she shouldn't have come.

"Ryuji-kun, he nice," admonished Kotonoha. Ryuji obeyed.

Kat was about to make a snide comment when she felt a chill run down her spine. She wasn't the only one feeling it.

"Do you feel that?" asked Ryuji.

"You mean that Ki? It's suffocating," said Kat.

"Let's go check it out." He then smirked. "We may even get some action."

"It has been pretty boring sitting her studying," said Kat, mimicking Ryuji's smirk.

"Nani?" Kotonoha questioned, "What's going on?" She watched as the twins left the table. "Ryuji-kun! Kat-san!" They were both headed to the door and Kotonoha sighed. "Nobody tells me anything anymore."

* * *

Warren and Grimmjow were locked in deadly midair combat, with Grimmjow swinging wildly at the Rider. Warren was dodging all of Grimmjow's strikes, his Zanpakuto not even in its Shikai state yet. Ryuji and Kat showed up as the DynoLiner drops them off not too far away from the fight.

"Damn, this is bad!" cursed Ryuji

"Yeah! Sensei is hogging all the action!" whined Kat.

"You guys couldn't take Grimmjow even if you wanted to…but Sensei, he could probably take on all of the Espada at once," said Benitora in awe.

"I've seen what he can do. You're right about that," confirmed Ryuji. His eyes widened when Grimmjow threw a cero blast at Warren, but widened even further as Warren caught the cero and threw it back at Grimmjow, hitting its mark.

"OK, I'd need a lot of Rinki to catch a blast like that," said Kat

"You'd need the Rinki of ten RinJyuKen users to catch that. Five GenJyuKen masters won't have trouble" said Ryuji.

"Oh, my! This is terrible!" shouted Hikari. "They'll wreck the place! What can we do!?"

Ryuji was about to answer when he was nearly floored by an immense Reiatsu. Looking up, he saw Warren placing his hand over his face. "It's time I finished this," said Warren. Benitora's eyes widened as white fragmented energy began to gather in Warren's hand. Ryuji too was surprised as the white fragments of energy formed in a skull-like mask with black eyes, spikes on the edge of the jaw, and a pair of long, sharp horns. Warren's eyes then started to change, as his irises turned gold.

"No way…" Ryuji was stunned as well as Hikari.

This was Warren's latest secret. A little bit of Damien, his demented other personality, had influenced him to find more power, so he went to the darker side of Shinigami…

He practiced something that was considered a taboo amongst the Soul Society. He had gained the power of the Hollow and made it his own. He became…

"Let's do this," said Warren as he slid the mask over his face.

A Vizard.

* * *

Shadow Element 13: Horray! Everything is finally OK between Kenzaki and Neko. But Kat's still working with Nanimo. That's not going to end well.

ZK Chromedragozoid: A whole lot of surprises for our heroes, and it's not even summer vacation yet. Woah, Warren's a Vizard!? Who knew? How is this fight gonna end? Well, let's see next time on KAMEN RIDER IFRIT!


	25. Preparations for the Final Test

Warren and Grimmjow were locked in deadly midair combat, with Grimmjow swinging wildly at the Rider. Warren was dodging all of Grimmjow's strikes, his Zanpakuto not even in its Shikai state yet. Ryuji and Kat showed up as the DynoLiner drops them off not too far away from the fight.

"Damn, this is bad!" cursed Ryuji

"Yeah! Sensei is hogging all the action!" whined Kat.

"You guys couldn't take Grimmjow even if you wanted to…but Sensei, he could probably take on all of the Espada at once," said Benitora in awe.

"I've seen what he can do. You're right about that," confirmed Ryuji. His eyes widened when Grimmjow threw a cero blast at Warren, but widened even further as Warren caught the cero and threw it back at Grimmjow, hitting its mark.

"OK, I'd need a lot of Rinki to catch a blast like that," said Kat

"You'd need the Rinki of ten RinJyuKen users to catch that. Five GenJyuKen masters won't have trouble" said Ryuji.

"Oh, my! This is terrible!" shouted Hikari. "They'll wreck the place! What can we do!?"

Ryuji was about to answer when he was nearly floored by an immense Reiatsu. Looking up, he saw Warren placing his hand over his face. "It's time I finished this," said Warren. Benitora's eyes widened as white fragmented energy began to gather in Warren's hand. Ryuji too was surprised as the white fragments of energy formed into a demonic skull-like mask with black eyes, spikes on the chin, and a pair of long, sharp horns. Warren's eyes then started to change, as his irises turned gold and the whites of his eyes turned pitch black.

"No way…" Ryuji was stunned as well as Hikari.

This was Warren's latest secret. A little bit of Damien, his demented other personality, had influenced him to find more power, so he went to the darker side of the Shinigami…

He practiced something that was considered a taboo amongst the Soul Society. He had gained the power of the Hollow and made it his own. He became…

"Let's do this," said Warren as he slid the mask over his face.

A Vizard.

* * *

"**PREPARATIONS FOR THE FINAL TEST"**

* * *

Hikari appeared frightened by Warren's mask. It seemed evil and sinister in appearance and it discomforted her. Benitora placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to calm her down as he too witnessed the change. The twins, however, were reacting more to the Ki/Reiatsu Warren was releasing in his Vizard form.

"Hey, Ryuji," Kat asked her twin brother, "Did you know about this?"

"No, I didn't," Ryuji could honestly say. He knew Warren was a Shinigami, but he never knew his friend and superior was a Vizard. '_What else are you hiding, sempai?_'

"Heh," spat Grimmjow. "So, you've decided to go all out, huh, Shinigami?"

"That's right," said Warren. He then corrected, "And I'm a Vizard now."

"Tell me," said Grimmjow, "Before I slice your head off, what is your name? You seem to know mine so I think it's only fair that I know your name too."

"I am known by many names," said Warren. "But under the circumstances…Captain of Squad 9 of the Gotei 13, Warren Smith." Suddenly, he blurred from Grimmjow's sight.

"Huh?" Grimmjow looked around in bewilderment before letting out shouts of pain from several blows impacting his body at once. It was like being stoned by a hundred rocks at once and the 5th Espada was being tossed around like a rag doll. The bone crushing blows could be heard echoing through the air and they sounded devastating.

Ryuji's eyes narrowed as he tried to catch a glimpse of Warren. They turned gold like Benitora's for a second as he pumped some Genki into them but then they turned back to normal once he saw a blur of Warren's image. Kat too tried to locate Warren but was barely successful. All she could see was a blur. Benitora could barely see Warren too and Hikari could only see Grimmjow being beaten up by an invisible force (Warren).

Grimmjow received a crushing blow to the face that cracked his mask's remains before his head snapped back into place. His eyes were filled with fury as he tried to locate the Vizard, "Come out!" he demanded. "Come out and face me!"

"OK," said Warren as he reappeared but in his open palm was a pitch black Cero, "You see me, so see ya!" He sent the blast flying at Grimmjow and the Espada crossed his arms in front of his face to defend himself from the blast. It didn't just slam into him**;** it engulfed him in its wake. The beam burnt at his skin and clothes and once it ceased, Grimmjow was now missing his jacket and a large portion of his hakama. He still had a tight grip on his Zanpakuto.

"Bastard…" growled Grimmjow. He then prepared to release his Zanpakuto but before he could say a thing, Warren had appeared before him and grabbed his mouth shut with his hand.

"Sorry, but there's no way you're performing a release right here," said Warren with a knowing smile under his helmet. He then opened his mouth wide and released a blast of pitch black energy straight into Grimmjow at point blank range. Grimmjow's eyes widened as he saw the blast come at him.

**BOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!**

Hikari covered her ears from the loud explosion, as did the twins. Benitora shielded Hikari from the shockwave using his body as he pulled the blushing girl close to his chest and turned his back the explosion.

"Ow…" Kat groaned. She had a ringing sound in her ears. "Hey, you okay?"

"What?" Ryuji shouted back. "I can't hear you!" He too had a ringing in his ears.

"Speak up!" shouted Kat.

Hikari watched the exchange of the temporarily deafened twins with some mild amusement before turning her attention back towards the fight. Grimmjow was still in Warren's grip and now the Vizard had the tip of his sword aimed directly at Grimmjow's throat. "Looks like this is the end, for you," said Warren coldly.

"I agree," said a new voice. Warren looked up to see a man floating not too far away from him and Grimmjow. He had dark skin, his hair in dreadlocks, wore bandages around his eyes, and wore a long sleeveless coat and white hakama.

"Kaname Tosen," growled Warren. It was one of the traitors that had sided with Aizen, the other being Gin Ichimaru. "Traitorous bastard! What are you doing here?!"

"As much as I dislike him, I cannot allow you to kill Grimmjow," spoke Kaname.

Warren glared at the former Captain. "Fine," said Warren. He then kicked Grimmjow, sending him flying at Kaname to catch. "Take him and leave. I can't stand traitors so you better get moving."

Kaname nodded at his replacement and used Garganta to transport him and Grimmjow back to Hueco Mundo.

Warren reached up to his mask and removed it, allowing it to shatter and the fragments to fly in the wind as he descended, his eyes turning back to normal as his feet stepped onto the ground. Hikari looked intimidated by him as Ryuji and Kat stared at him in confusion.

"Did you know that guy?" asked Ryuji, referring to Tosen.

"A long time ago," said Warren cryptically. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone shows up and asks too many questions we can't answer."

"Right," agreed Kat. "Let's go." She regarded Benitora and Hikari. "You both too. Let's scat."

As they ran from the scene, Hikari eyed both Ryuji and Kat with suspicion. She knew Warren was a Shinigami with awesome powers and that Benitora was an Arrancar and former Espada, but Ryuji and Kat seemed to be more involved in this than they should and knowledgeable about these strange occurrences. She knew Ryuji and Warren to be friends and that Kat was Ryuji's sister, but there had to be something that the twins weren't telling her. She was determined to find out what their secret was.

* * *

**Time Skip, Several Days Later, on a Saturday Afternoon...**

Kenzaki was walking back and forth in front of Neko's room. So far, the damage to their relationship had been repaired. Though Kat wasn't happy, she was relieved to see the light in Neko's eyes returning. At least, in her opinion, Kenzaki was good for something.

In Kenzaki's hand was the velvet box containing the ring he'd wanted to give to Neko when he originally proposed to her. The last time she'd declined but after hearing how much she loved him while he was unconscious, he felt hopeful that this time she would say yes.

Regaining his bearings, Kenzaki faced the door and raised his hand to knock but before his knuckles could rap against the surface of the door, he heard Neko say, "Come in. The door's open." Kenzaki blinked as the door slid open and he entered. Neko was just coming out of the shower, wearing a terrycloth robe and drying her long hair with a towel. Kenzaki blushed a little as he saw her like this and his nose could pick up her fragrance. The robe fell off her left shoulder slightly, revealing the milk white skin and he gulped. She blushed and pulled that part of the robe back up and tightened her belt.

"So, what's up?" Neko asked her boyfriend as she turned to face him.

"Neko, I've been thinking a lot…about us," said Kenzaki.

"Uh-huh, OK," said Neko, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"And well, we've been through a lot haven't we?" asked Kenzaki.

"Well…" began Neko. She took a seat in front of her vanity mirror and began to use a hairdryer, before she started brushing and braiding her hair. "I guess we have. I mean look at how we met and then fought alongside each other these past 2 years. Not to mention the obstacles we've made for ourselves." Her shoulders felt stiff. "Ken-kun, could you rub my shoulders for me?"

Kenzaki blushed before nodding, "H…hai…" Kenzaki went over and rubbed her shoulders and she purred sultrily.

"You have very nice hands…" purred Neko. She purred further and began to moan too. "Oh, right there. Yes, that's it."

"Neko…what do you see in the future for us?" asked Kenzaki.

"I'm thinking hunting bounties and making more money," smiled Neko.

Kenzaki frowned. "Is that all?"

"And having a family…" said Neko dreamily.

Kenzaki smiled slightly at that, "So, you do see us having a future together? Not just hunting bounties?"

"Well, yeah. I mean why have a life together if we're not willing to move forward into the future?" She then placed her hands on his and kept them in place on her shoulders. "Ken-kun, do you love me?" asked Neko.

"More than anything," answered Kenzaki.

"So, why don't you get to the point and propose again?" suggested Neko.

Kenzaki's eyes widened. "That obvious huh?"

"I saw the bulge in your pocket. It's the ring, isn't it?

"Um sure…it's the ring," said Kenzaki, blushing slightly. She let go of his hands and turned around to face him. He was down on one knee in front of her with the box opened to reveal the ring. "Neko, will you marry me?"

"Stand up," ordered Neko. He did as told and she stood up as well. Neko smiled and leaned up to give Kenzaki a soft peck on the lips before licking his right cheek.

"OK, I'm confused," said Kenzaki, blinking. "Either that was a very sexy 'no', or I had food on my cheek."

Neko giggled, "In my family that's how a girl accepts a proposal."

"So that means…" began Kenzaki, still not catching on.

Neko kissed him and licked his cheek again. "Want me to do it a third time?" asked Neko.

"It'd help," replied Kenzaki, smiling.

Neko rolled her eyes, "That means I'm accepting your proposal. I've had a lot to think about. In a way I've redeemed myself when I decided to become a Rider. I think I was already redeemed when we beat Sauron the first time."

"So…" began Kenzaki. "Come on, Neko, I wanna hear the words."

"Of course I'll marry you, you big idiot!" shouted Neko as she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Daisuki, Ken-kun."

Kenzaki returned the hug but then a question was nagging at his mind. He had to ask, "So, why did you finally decide to say yes? I thought you wanted to wait until you were fully redeemed."

Neko pulled back to look into his eyes, frowning sadly, which caused Kenzaki to feel concerned for her. "You're right," she began. "I do wish to redeem myself, but…"

"But?" he prompted.

"Ken-kun…" She looked at him seriously for a moment, "While we were apart, I did a lot of thinking and soul searching…about me, about you, about us... and I realized something." She paused for a second before continuing, "I still wish to redeem myself," the smile returned to her face, "But now I realize now that I don't need to take that journey alone anymore," she hugged him close, "Because I got you now, by my side."

"Neko-chan…" he closed his eyes as he embraced her, "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth if I have to."

"Oh, Ken-kun…" she sighed, closing her own eyes to enjoy the embrace.

The moment was sweet, tender…and was about to be ruined…

"YEAH!" Buraki shouted as he burst into the room, followed by an elated Kumiko, an excited Shiori, and the rest of the Imagin coming to congratulate the newly engaged couple. To them, Kenzaki and Neko's relationship was like watching a soap opera and now it had reached a climax.

Kenzaki glared at the group as his Violet Fierce Ki began to flare out. "Damn it! Can't you bastards see I'm trying to have a precious moment here!? I'll kill all of you!" roared Kenzaki as he pounced on his teammates.

"OW! MERCY!!!"

* * *

**POW!**

"Itai!" Kotonoha cried as she fell on her rear. She was wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts. "Kat-san!" she whined as she rubbed the spot Kat had hit, below her ribcage.

"Get up," ordered Kat, who was wearing black shorts and a sports bra. "Your opponent won't wait for you to recover so you have to be quick about it." Kotonoha did as told and got into a stance. "Alright, get ready." Kat got into a defensive stance as Kotonoha charged and threw her fists at the RinJyuKen artist. Kat blocked with her forearms and pushed her back. "You got the offence right," said Kat, "But…" She ducked under a swing and slammed her elbow into Kotonoha's stomach, sending the girl falling, "You're still sloppy when it comes to defense."

Kotonoha rubbed her back and got back to her feet. She wondered why she was punishing herself like this and getting beaten up by Kat and then she remembered that she was doing this for Ryuji. Without Athena's help, she was useless in a fight. Rina and Siera had magical powers and the human girl didn't want to lose to the demon and god princesses.

Kat gazed at Kotonoha. '_She must really love Ryuji if she's gonna let herself get hurt for him_,' mused Kat. Kotonoha had approached Kat for training and Kat was only happy to accept. Kotonoha already knew the basics from Ryuji but for further training she knew she had to go elsewhere since he didn't want to hurt her. She wasn't a porcelain doll but Ryuji couldn't help but treat her as such. She was precious to him.

Kat, however, had no qualms in hurting Kotonoha in training. She followed a simple motto: "No pain, no gain."

Kotonoha went on the offensive and Kat backed away whole dodging from side to side. When she was pushed against the wall, Kat jumped and raised up both legs to kick Kotonoha in the chest and then she grabbed the girl by the shirt and used a Judo throw on her to toss her onto the ground. Kotonoha hit her head hard and groaned in pain when she hit the tatami covered floor.

This room used to be Ryuji's and used for training, particularly sparing. The mats were soft and could break a person's fall by absorbing the impact. Still, a hard fall like that was painful and for someone like Kotonoha it was particularly painful.

Kat stood over the girl and held a hand out to her. Kotonoha accepted the help and was pulled back to her feet. Kotonoha winced a little and Kat frowned, "I think you must've sprained something."

"I guess," Kotonoha agreed. "So, shall we continue?"

"No," Kat shook her head. "We're done for tonight and I don't think you need anymore bruises." Kat was worried about what Ryuji would do if he found bruises on his Kotonoha. "Let's go take a bath," Kat offered.

* * *

The bathtub was big so it could accommodate the two girls as they soaked in the hot water. Herbs were added to promote healing and to make the bruises fade away. Kat loved to soak in the bath, especially with Rose. The two girls sat on opposite ends of the tub, both with their hair tied up and towels on their heads.

"Ah, this is the life," Kat stretched. "I love a nice hot soak after a good workout."

"Yes, it's very nice," agreed Kotonoha.

Kat had a perverse grin planted on her face as she looked at Kotonoha's naked form. Her eyes were locked on her future sister-in-laws ample bust. Kotonoha took notice of this and tried to cover her breasts with her hands but Kat was faster and was on her. The water in the tub splashed around as Kotonoha struggled from Kat's grasp as she let out a few shrieks from having herself groped and molested.

"Kat-san, yamette!" shrieked Kotonoha as Kat began to squeeze her.

"Woah, you're as soft as I remembered," grinned Kat as she continued to squeeze the flushed girl's breasts.

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" asked Kat as she moved her hands away from Kotonoha and backed away from the other girl's personal space.

"It's Rose, and you got a phone call," said Rose.

"OK, give it here," Kat said. Rose opened the door and strode over to the tub, handing Kat her cell phone. "Who is it?"

"Well, I think its Kenzaki, but it said "Baka-Okami" on the caller ID," Rose said.

"Oh, then its Kenny," smiled Kat. She placed her cell phone against her ear, "Talk to me, Kenny."

While the two weren't exactly friend, Kat could be friendly when in the bath. The herbs had a calming affect on her. It was possibly the fumes coming up from the hot water.

"_Listen to this_," said Kenzaki. He was silent and Kat heard a click on the other end. She thought he had hung up but then heard something.

"_Of course I'll marry you!_" Kat's eyes widened when she heard her sister's voice.

Kenzaki then came back on. "_That was a recording from earlier today…HA!_" laughed Kenzaki before the line went dead.

Kat's left eye twitched as she dropped the phone onto the bathroom's cold floor. Kotonoha and Rose looked upon the RinJyuKen artist with concern before she let out a shriek, "WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?!?!?!?"

* * *

"WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Athena, Cathy and Bobby were all the living room when they heard the shriek. Cathy looked up from her magazine and sighed, "Looks like Mama is angry again."

"Geez, Big Sis sure is loud," said Bobby as he returned his attention back to his videogame.

Athena just spoke, "She must've gotten some bad news."

* * *

"I…GIVE UP!" Kat yelled as she tossed her notes into the air. "I can't take it anymore!" It was a day after she got the call from Kenzaki and his gloating to her about Neko FINALLY accepting his proposal. That was why she couldn't focus on her studies. That damn laughter was still in her mind, taunting her.

She was at the dining room table, studying with Rose, Cathy and Bobby. Well, she was trying to study and wasn't having much success. Rose and Cathy looked at Kat with concern as she planted her face on the table.

Bobby chuckled, "So, Big Sis is having trouble with hitting the books, huh?"

"Screw you, Bobby," Kat muttered as she gave her partner the finger.

"Kat!" Rose scolded. "Language!"

"Oh, come on, Rosie-chan," Kat whined as she pointed out, "Cathy-chan has heard worse from when we had all those villains in one place." She planted her face in her book, "This…is…hopeless!"

"I guess you're out of practice when it comes to school, huh, Mama?" asked Cathy.

"I never really paid attention in school," Kat shrugged. "I got by to not fail so I didn't end up in summer school." Kat really enjoyed summer vacation and didn't want to miss it because of school. "I mean, who came up with THAT? Summer school? That is a violation of all that is good and pure in the world."

Rose rolled her eyes. Kat could be melodramatic. Even someone like Kat enjoyed lazing around in the pool, floating aimlessly on an inner tube.

"Your grades haven't been that good lately," Rose said, remembering some of their tests. Rose always got good marks and Kat…well, she was satisfied as long as she passed. "I mean I've seen how motivated you are when you're scheming but you fall asleep in class."

Kat answered, "I wasn't into school. That's why I dropped out."

"You dropped out?" Cathy said in surprised. "But you said-"

"No, _you_ cannot drop out," Kat snapped. "Just because I quit school, doesn't mean you should either."

"Yeah, coz Big Sis is a hypocrite," Bobby added. Kat tossed a book at his head. "Ow."

"There has to be an easier way," Kat said to herself. She then smirked. "An easier way…hm…"

* * *

A dark figure leapt over the gate of Sakakino High. The figure was obviously female and covered from head to toe in black. She made her way towards the school entrance.

"OK, the test answers should be in the staff room," she said to herself as she rubbed her hands together. Snapping her fingers, she vanished and then reappeared in the staff room. Despite the room being dark, she could see clearly since her eyes were made for this. "Now, let's see…" She tiptoed silently and looked around for where the test questions and answer keys could be.

She then came upon a large shape and frowned. "Right…like that isn't obvious enough." She rolled her eyes. "OK, let's see if I can still crack a safe." She was about to touch the safe when the lights came on. "Crud." She spun around to see Warren and Rachel at the door with Warren's hand on the light switch. "Double crud."

"Looking for these?" asked Warren as he held up a brown envelope. The thief snarled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"And take off that mask. We know it's you, Kat," said Rachel as it was the most obvious thing in the world. The thief reached up and pulled off her black mask to reveal that it was indeed Kat.

Warren snorted, "Stealing test answers? You really have gone too low."

"Well, can you blame me?" questioned Kat. "My last placement wasn't that good."

"Which doesn't add up," spoke up Rachel. "You're supposed to be a telepath, right?" Warren had informed her of the others' abilities. "I mean why can't you get the answers out of your classmates' heads?"

Kat placed her hands to her hips, an annoyed expression on her face, "Do you know how difficult it is to pinpoint one mind with the right answers when there are so many damn thoughts floating around, thinking of different answers? There's too much mental interference."

Rachel blinked. That kind of made sense, sorta.

"Why not try studying?" suggested Warren.

"Do I look like a studious kind of girl?' scoffed Kat. "Puh-leaze! I enjoy scheming compared to studying. I like to hit the plans compared to hitting the books. I like to have fun and not get bored to death."

"Right…" Warren rolled his eyes.

"So, you gonna report me?" asked Kat. "If you do then I can just go back to my own world."

Warren smiled mysteriously, "I…have a better idea."

Kat didn't like the sound of that and gulped.

* * *

The following day, at school, students were still hard at work, studying for the upcoming finals. Siera and Rina seemed to have the most difficulty since they were new at this school, world and its educational system.

"I don't get any of this," said Rina grimly. The two princesses were in the library trying to get some work done with little success.

"I don't get this either," added Siera. Both princesses were looking over their class notes. They were intelligent in their world but all this was beyond their understanding. The classes Siera had trouble were English and Mathematics while Rina was having trouble with both World and Japanese History.

"Well, you better," said Otome. She had befriended the two girls. "I mean if you fail more than three subjects you'll have to attend school during summer break."

"Summer…" Rina began, feeling nervous.

"School?" finished Siera, scared by the idea. Neither girl wanted to attend school for summer vacation. If they had to attend school in summer, that meant they would miss many chances to spend time with their prospective husband.

"No way!" exclaimed Rina. "No way am I gonna fail this!"

"Well, you got a lot of work to cover," Otome pointed out. "You all joined us late so you got a lot of catching up to do."

"Thanks for the warning," Rina muttered.

"I got an idea," suggested Siera, "We can ask Kotonoha and Ryuji to help us study."

Rina was happy to study with Ryuji, but she wasn't looking forward to studying with Kotonoha. The two didn't get along too well. "I'm not sure about that."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to help us," smiled Siera reassuringly.

* * *

Ryuji could sense Kotonoha's irritation rising when Rina and Siera came over to Radish to request them of something.

"So, do you mind if we study at your place until finals?" asked Siera. The Princess of the God Kingdom was the most diplomatic and Kotonoha respected and liked her more compared to Rina who would shamelessly throw herself at Ryuji.

"You want to study…" said Kotonoha slowly. "With us?"

"Yes, so can we?" inquired Rina.

Kotonoha was breathing hard. She had come to terms with a lot of emotions. Before she had never gotten angry but well that was before she ever fell in love. Now in love with Ryuji, she was possessive of him and suspicious of other girls who showed interest in him. She feared they would try to steal him away like Sekai had done so with Makoto.

"Excuse me," said Ryuji politely as he took Kotonoha by the hand. Rina stared coldly at the contact. "We'll be right back." He dragged her away into the back room and locked the door.

The back room was mainly used for storage space and it was private too. This was where Kotonoha and Ryuji could talk without drawing attention to themselves. Sekai and Makoto had also used this room for their private little romps.

"Koto-chan, I need you to calm down," said Ryuji cautiously as he stood before his seething girlfriend.

"Did you see the way Rina was looking at you?" said Kotonoha accusingly. "She was undressing you with her eyes!" Ryuji frowned deeply. He knew Kotonoha was hard to reason with when she was angry. She was a lot like him since his anger could turn into something dangerous if left out of control.

"Koto-chan, listen to me," he said, cupping her chin. She looked into his blue eyes which glowed under the dim light of the room. "Listen to me, OK?" She fell silent at his gaze and was comforted by his touch. "Do you have any doubts that I love you?"

"No," she whispered without hesitating.

"Well, then there's no reason for you to be threatened. I'm not like Itou who's gonna go after the next girl who shows interest in him," said Ryuji reassuringly. He let go of her chin and then pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh, Ryuji-kun…" she closed her eyes, murmuring his name softly.

* * *

Rina was taking a sip of her cappuccino as Siera enjoyed a banana split, licking off the chocolate sauce at the corner of her lips. The Demon Princess checked her watch and looked around in frustration. 15 minutes had passed since Ryuji and Kotonoha left them to go and discuss things. She stretched her neck to see where her chosen fiancé and that other girl were. "Just where are they?"

"Just be patient, Rina," advised Siera. "Maybe they're discussing our offer."

"Or making out," said Rina spitefully. She didn't hate Kotonoha, but she was her rival in love. She really did like Ryuji but he didn't seem like he wanted to give them a chance beyond friendship.

"Hey, there they are," Siera pointed. Rina looked and gawked. Both looked disheveled with their work uniforms wrinkled and hair a mess. Ryuji's braid was undone and the left strap of Kotonoha's top was sliding down her shoulder. Both wore large satisfied grins on their faces which pissed Rina off.

"OK, you can study with us tonight," agreed Kotonoha. "Ryuji-kun convinced me."

"Great…" Rina said through clenched teeth.

"We get off work in a couple of hours," said Ryuji. "You don't mind waiting do you?"

"No," Rina shook her head. "We sure don't." She narrowed her eyes at the love bite Kotonoha was sporting on her neck, barely concealed by the choker.

* * *

It was later that night when the quartet arrived at Kotonoha's home. Siera and Rina were walking behind the happy couple. So far, Siera had resigned herself to accept that Ryuji had indeed chosen Kotonoha as his future bride. She saw how utterly in love they were and didn't want to upset them. She considered Kotonoha her friend and they could sit down and have a pleasant chat without involving the engagement or Ryuji.

Rina, however, wasn't one to give up. She'd been trained for this. She was going to take Ryuji as her husband, even by force if need he. He was strong and deserved a strong wife. Someone as weak as Kotonoha was undeserving of a prize like Ryuji. Despite feeling sympathetic for Kotonoha because of her miscarriage, she had moved on after Kotonoha managed to recover both physically and emotionally, resuming their rivalry over Ryuji. There could be only one winner. Sides, Ryuji could always take Kotonoha as a mistress anyway or even a second wife. Rina would be No.1 in the end, and not No.2.

"Tadaima," said Ryuji and Kotonoha in unison as they opened the door. From the living room the couple could hear a loud commotion. Sharing looks of worry, they entered the house with Siera and Rina straggling behind. Nothing could prepare them for this.

"Please don't drink straight from the bottle, and use a coaster!" yelled out Loki in frustration at the two odd men drinking in the living room with bottles of alcohol between them and cups on the table. Well, they weren't really strangers. In fact they were very familiar.

"Oh, look who's back, Freddy!" grinned a large man in a robe.

"Oh, it's our darling daughters and their fiancé!" replied the thin man who was drinking as much as the large man. Loki was trying to perform damage control. Kokoro was laughing at the antics of both men as Athena laid on the couch, completely drunk. Eros was passed out on the floor.

The two men, despite hiding their true forms, were in fact the King of the Demons and the King of the Gods from another realm.

"Ryuji-niichan! Onee-chan!" Kokoro greeted, "Okaeri!"

Ryuji's left eye twitched as he stared at the two men, drinking alcohol in his girlfriend's living room like they owned the place and showing little to no restraint. Both Rina and Siera covered their faces in mortification and embarrassment at their fathers' antics.

"Oh, daddy…" Siera moaned.

"Pop, what if your subjects saw you now," groaned Rina

Right now, Ryuji himself couldn't believe that these two men were kings, much less a demon and a god. Guess idiot fathers drinking themselves silly were multiversal.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BOTH DOING HERE!?" screamed Ryuji furiously, his hands covered in ice which formed into sharp claws.

"Oh, Ryuji, thank goodness you're here!" Loki knelt at Ryuji's feet in relief. "They just barged in and insisted to be served with alcohol."

Kotonoha frowned, "It's not my father's collection, is it?"

"No, I went to the store to get some and well…" Loki gestured to the drunken kings, "The rest is history."

"Nii-chan, Onee-chan, these uncles are really fun!" Kokoro giggled.

"See, the little girl knows what fun is!" Eustace laughed.

"She's also a minor," Ryuji pointed out, "And what happened to Athena and Eros?"

"They got talked into a drinking contest," Loki answered bluntly.

"I…will not…lose…" Athena slurred.

"Say no more," Ryuji palmed his face. "Girls, do you mind dragging your dads out of here?"

"How are we going to do that?" asked Rina and then she witnessed as Ryuji formed a cub made of ice in his hand. "Oh?"

"They might get more than a hangover after this," said Ryuji before he took a swing.

**BAM! BAM!**

Both kings were now lying on the floor with large lumps on their heads and with swirly eyes. Ryuji banished the club and looked to the girls. "Take them away, please," Ryuji requested.

"Guess no study session tonight, huh?" asked Siera as she grabbed her father's leg and dragged him to the door.

"Guess so," Ryuji nodded.

"Well, maybe next time," said Rina as she grabbed her own father's arms and dragged him to the door with her. "OK?"

"OK," Ryuji nodded. "Take care now," he waved as the two princesses dragged their unconscious dads out of the house. Kokoro waved goodbye to them and closed the door.

"Oh, thank goodness they're gone!" Loki cried in relief. "Now, to clean up this mess!" There were empty sake bottles and cups all over the floor. He started cleaning up the living room.

"You do that," nodded Ryuji.

"Kokoro-chan, you shouldn't let strangers in," scolded Kotonoha.

"But Loki knew them," Kokoro answered innocently. "I thought it would be okay, plus they're funny."

"Then why am I not laughing?" muttered Ryuji.

"Ryuji-kun, shouldn't you be worried about assaulting kings?" asked Kotonoha in concern.

"I don't think they'll remember a thing," Ryuji said nonchalantly. "I mean if they do wake up with headaches, they'll just think they partied too hard and having monster hangovers."

"Well, if you're sure," said Kotonoha.

"So, let's get some studying done," said Ryuji with a large grin. Kotonoha noticed that it was big and wide and realized that he'd planned this.

"You planned this to get rid of Rina-san and Siera-san!" Kotonoha stated.

"Well, I didn't plan it, but it was a convenient enough excuse," shrugged Ryuji. "So, let's go!" He grabbed Kotonoha and then carried her bridal style as he made his way up the stairs to her room. He pushed open the door and then slammed it shut with his foot. He then tossed Kotonoha onto the bed and she looked at him in surprise.

"We're not studying, are we?" asked Kotonoha.

"Sure we are," grinned Ryuji as he got on the bed and straddled her. "We'll be studying human biology."

And with that he kissed her.

* * *

Kotonoha was wiping the sweat off her face as she and Ryuji walked to school together. It was a sweltering morning and it was discomforting for the dozuki wielding girl. "It's so hot…" Kotonoha said as she fanned herself with her hand.

"I'm feeling fine," said Ryuji with a shrug.

"Of course you'd be fine," frowned Kotonoha. Her boyfriend had ice powers so he wasn't at all affected by the heat. She held up her ice crystal heart pendant. "I'm surprised this hasn't melted because of this heat."

Ryuji snorted, "It's gonna take more than this heat to melt that." He'd made it using his ice powers so natural heat like this wouldn't melt it.

Kotonoha got an idea and rubbed the crystal against her face to cool herself down. It provided a measure of relief but it wasn't enough. Noticing how his girlfriend desperately needed to cool down, he pulled her close against him and spread his cold Ki around the two of them. She blushed as she walked closely against him. She should've thought of this before.

"You could've asked me to help cool you down," stated Ryuji. "I do have ice powers."

"I know, but…"

"I can keep my powers a secret and keep my girl cool," said Ryuji with a smile. Kotonoha returned his smile with a warm one of her own. He was such a good boyfriend, and useful too during hot days like this.

"Hey, mind sharing?" the couple heard and turned to look at Kat and her family trying to beat the heat. They all held umbrellas for shade but it weren't very affective. Kat added,

"Come on, we're dying here."

"Just copy my powers," said Ryuji.

"Excuse me, but I can't do that anymore," frowned Kat. "Neko got my power copying powers. I can only copy the powers of whatever I shapeshift into."

"Then shapeshift into a snowman," joked Ryuji.

"Oh, go screw yourself!" hissed Kat.

Kotonoha pleaded, "Ryuji-kun..."

"OK," Ryuji nodded and extended his ice cold Ki to envelop his sister and her family. Kat gave a sigh of relief and a thumbs up out of gratitude.

"Thanks," grinned Kat before smacking Ryuji in the back, causing him to nearly fall forwards.

"Itai," groaned Ryuji. "Come on, let's get to school and-"

"RYUJI HASUMA!!!" a voice roared.

"And deal with idiots," Ryuji finished. Before them was a generic student with a large and muscular build, wearing the KLLA armband.

"RYUJI HASUMA! TODAY YOU WILL-!"

**POW!**

He was immediately knocked out when Ryuji tossed an ice ball in his face. The ice ball melted by Ryuji's will, leaving only water in the guy's face.

"Woah, you didn't waste time," Cathy admired Ryuji's handiwork.

"Let's go before we're late," Ryuji said in a bored tone.

"Good idea," Rose agreed. "Maybe they can turn on the air conditioner in class."

* * *

"Or not," Rose groaned as she fanned herself with her hand. The air conditioner was busted and during such an important time. The heat wave was getting to everybody, especially Kat, who looked just about ready to strip off her uniform just to beat the heat.

"Ugh! It's so hot!" complained Kat as she began to unbutton her uniform top.

"Hey, we're in class!" Rose scolded as she stopped her beloved Kat from committing indecent exposure.

"I just hope we get to use the pool today," groaned Kat as she planted her forehead on the desk.

"Is she okay?" Hikari asked as she looked at her psychotic friend in concern.

"Yeah, usually she's groping someone by now," Nanami commented.

"It's the heat," Rose said. "She doesn't like it. It's starting to annoy her, really, and well she isn't someone you want to see annoyed."

"Well, at least she doesn't go around beating people up," Nanami stated.

"Wonder how Sekai and the others are doing in their class?" asked Hikari.

"Well, it's only fair that they're feeling as lousy as we are," said Nanami as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Don't bet on it," mumbled Kat.

* * *

"It's so damn hot…" complained Neko as she fanned herself. Both she and Kenzaki were walking to school together and it was sweltering.

"I wouldn't know," said Kenzaki. "It all feels the same to me." Due to his metal skin, he didn't really feel heat and cold like others.

"Lucky you. I feel all sweaty and sticky. I mean my uniform is sticking to my skin" whined Neko.

Kenzaki looked over and saw that it really was sticking to her skin, showing off her body. "I'm not lucky. Trust me; I want to feel something like this."

"I'm just glad our classroom has an air conditioner," sighed Neko.

* * *

In Ryuji and Kotonoha's classroom, the students were feeling just as uncomfortable due to the heat, and so close to final exams too. None of them were in the mood to study and were trying to beat the heat by fanning themselves with their notebooks.

The only people who weren't being affected by the heat were Ryuji and Kotonoha. It made sense since Ryuji had ice powers and was sharing the aura with his fiancée.

"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha whispered, "Maybe you should share the wealth?"

Ryuji looked around the class at their fellow classmates who looked ready to die because of the intense heat. With the busted air conditioner, everyone else was sweltering. It wasn't fair since Ryuji and Kotonoha looked comfortable. "I don't want to expose my powers," Ryuji whispered back.

"I don't think anyone will notice, and I think they are getting irritated already."

Ryuji sighed and said, "For you." He then concentrated his Ki to expand around the classroom and thus chasing away the heat.

"Wow," Otome let out, "Did they fix the air conditioner already?"

"I guess so," said Makoto.

"Oh, good," grinned Taisuke as he felt relieved. "Now it's nice and cool."

"Yeah!" added Vash.

"Good, now put your shirts back on," Sekai deadpanned.

Setsuna glanced at Ryuji and smiled a little. She knew she had him to thank for this. She'd studied his abilities and found out about his ice based abilities. It wasn't too hard for her to figure out that he was responsible.

Kenzaki and Neko walked in, with Neko sighing in relief when the cool air brushed against her. "Ah, this feels good," sighed Neko happily.

"If you say so," nodded Kenzaki.

Neko thought it was the air conditioning and not her brother, but Kenzaki knew better. However, he just decided to let her think what she wanted.

Rina and Siera entered the classroom together, looking tired and haggard. It looked like their fathers had really been a hassle for the two of them.

"Hey, Rina, Siera," called Ryuji. "How are your dads?"

"They're fine," said Siera.

"Are they sober?" he asked further.

"With hangovers to boot," answered Rina. "They don't even remember what you did."

"Well, after what happened, they're lucky I didn't do worse," Ryuji said with a frown. He knew those men were going to make him choose their daughters to marry as soon as possible, despite proclaiming that he'd chosen Kotonoha.

Warren came into the classroom and everyone quickly took their seats. He gave a sigh of relief and mentally thanked Ryuji for providing the classroom with a cooler and more comfortable environment.

"OK, I know you're all been working hard for the upcoming finals," said Warren. "So, we'll be doing some reviews for class today. But first, I'm going to take attendance."

* * *

Later that night, a man was roughly tossed onto the rooftop of a building. The one responsible for bringing him there was none other than an Imagin resembling a squirrel. It had black skin and patches of brown fur with a long and bushy tail.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" the man shouted.

"Hey, you were the one that said you wanted to get into this university," the Squirrel Imagin chuckled. "Now that you're here, the contract is complete!" The green portal opened up within the man and the Imagin prepared to dive in.

"Chotto matte!" Ryuji shouted as he performed a double flying kick with Loki that slammed the Squirrel Imagin onto the ground. The Imagin snarled at the two who'd dared to stop it.

"Oi, who the hell are you two!?" the Squirrel Imagin shouted.

Before Ryuji could speak, Loki got in the first word, "Let us say this from the start, you will not get away!"

"Hey! Hey!" Ryuji pushed his partner aside. "It's my line first, then yours!"

"Oh, I forgot." Loki rubbed the back of his head and bowed apologetically. "I'll try and remember next time."

The Squirrel Imagin tilted its head to the side before turning its attention back to the man who had made the contract with it. The portal was still open. It laughed. "See you suckers later!" it jeered before diving into the portal to the past.

"Kuso!" cursed Ryuji as he ran to the man with his time ticket. He held it above the man's head and the date on it was 26th March 2007. "Hey, what does this date mean to you?" Ryuji asked the man.

The man took a look at the date and answered, "It was the day I found out I failed my college entrance exam."

After getting the necessary info he needed, Ryuji slipped the ticket into his pass before wiping it across his belt with a call of, "Henshin!" His gunmetal Plat Form armor formed over his body. He summoned the DynoLiner which quickly sped past and picked him and Loki up for a trip into the past.

* * *

**26****th**** March 2007**

The young man was among many hopeful students who'd tried to enter this university. However, when he saw that his number wasn't among the ones posted on the message board, he became upset and gritted his teeth. "Damn it," he growled. "All that work for nothing!" Sand poured out from his body and then reformed into the Squirrel Imagin. The monster's appearance caused the rest of the people to riot and panic in a frenzy as it began to attack anyone it could get its hands on.

"Oh, time to destroy!" the Imagin said gleefully as it produced acorn bombs and tossed them all around. They exploded when they fell, causing people to scream out in fear. "Ahahahahahah!!!" the Imagin laughed. "Nobody will stop me now!"

Suddenly, it heard the loud trumpet of an elephant and looked up to see a portal form with train tracks coming out of it. The DynoLiner rode along the tracks and then something jumped out of it. It was Ifrit in his Plat Form and riding upon the Machine Dyno-Breaker. He sped towards the Squirrel Imagin and threw a fist that smashed it to the ground before he pulled over. "This is gonna be easy," snickered Ifrit as he dismounted from his bike. He pressed the black button on his belt, activating the Form Switch, before swiping his Dyno Pass over the buckle.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

The additional armor pieces appeared around him before snapping onto his suit. Finally, his 'mask' slid over his helmet and then snapped onto his faceplate. The slits flashed red, signaling the finished change as his gauntlets and boots also changed to match the color of his armor.

He removed the DynoGasher bars from his belt before assembling them one at a time. The Imagin got back to its feet and let out a growl before tossing its acorn bombs at Ifrit. They exploded, concealing the Rider in a cloud of smoke.

"Heh, too easy," the Squirrel Imagin said but then it was surprised by a figure running out of the smoke cloud, wielding a sword made from the assembled DynoGasher. It had a black blade with a red jagged edge.

"HYAH!" Ifrit shouted as he rushed at the Imagin, dodging more of the monster's bombs. When he got within range, he swiped at the Squirrel Imagin using his sword, causing sparks to fly when his blade made contact with the creature's body. He didn't give the Imagin an opening or a chance to fight back as he continued to attack with all his might and rage.

"GO TO HELL!" Ifrit roared as he threw a kick into its chin which sent the Squirrel Imagin falling flat on its back.

* * *

**The Present**

There was a knock at Kotonoha's door. She was expecting Ryuji to be back by now. They were supposed to be studying tonight. She went and opened the door and smiled warmly at who was on the other side. "Oh, Makoto-kun. Konbanwa."

* * *

**26****th**** March 2007**

"Time for extinction," said Ifrit as he waved the Dyno Pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Energy zigzagged from his belt buckle after he tossed the Dyno Pass away. The energy transferred from his belt to his sword, which began to glow brightly. He then bent his knees before charging at the weakened Squirrel Imagin. Once he got in range, he slashed his enemy several times. The Squirrel Imagin let out cries of pain from each slash before he used one last overhead slash to slice it down in half. The Imagin exploded and yelled out in anguish as a result from the vicious finisher.

"Heh, that was too easy," said Ifrit, proud of himself as he hefted his sword upon his shoulder.

'_Ryuji, you should get back to Kotonoha-san soon_,' said Loki in his mind. '_You have another study session with her tonight._'

"I know that," snorted Ifrit. "You don't have to tell me twice." He then made his way back to his time train.

* * *

Ryuji opened the door and sighed, revealing the Sands of Time behind him as his DynoLiner sped off. He was back in the present and in Kotonoha's house. He'd gone to the past earlier to take care of an Imagin. He felt a little sore from the fight but then said, "Ah, it's nothing a nice warm bath can't fix." He eyed the stairs that led up to Kotonoha's room. "But, first, I'm gonna visit Koto-chan's room and give her a kiss." He smiled. As he slipped out of his shoes and into his house slippers, he failed to notice the two extra pairs of shoes that were on the floor before he made his way up the stairs.

Ryuji wanted to surprise Kotonoha so he took hold of the knob and gave it a twist before pushing it open. He smiled widely as he said, "I'm home!" in a cheerful voice, hoping to give her a surprise greeting after his return. What he found made his blood run cold.

_He_ was there, sitting at a small table with _his _Tenshi-chan.

Makoto Itou was there sitting with Kotonoha, alone…and both were smiling and laughing.

Ryuji's smile fell.

"Ah, Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha let out in surprise as Makoto stared, suddenly feeling afraid for his life when he saw Ryuji's eyes on him. From the coldness he could see in Ryuji's ice blue orbs, he thought he was going to die right there.

Ryuji looked to the floor, his bangs covering his eyes as he said, "I see…you've got company." His fist was clenched and he was clutching the doorknob tight while his shoulders trembled. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you." He then stepped back as he pulled the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang.

Makoto let out a sigh of relief, "Wow, for a moment there I thought he was going to blow up." He took a look at Kotonoha who looked stricken. "Kotonoha?" She stood up suddenly and ran to the door. She opened it up to see Sekai carrying a tray that had a teapot and some cups on it.

"I finished making the tea," Sekai smiled but then Kotonoha rushed past her. "Huh?" She looked towards Makoto who just shrugged.

Ryuji was at the front door, reaching for the doorknob when Kotonoha's hand grabbed his wrist. She gasped and recoiled as she felt the sudden chill. It was cold like ice. Speaking of ice, a coat of it was starting to cover the doorknob and spread on the door itself. "Ryuji-kun?"

"Why is he here?" Ryuji asked without turning to face her, the ice spreading further. He repeated, "Why is he here?" He repeated the same question, "Why is he here?"

"Ryuji-kun, Sekai-san is here too," said Kotonoha. "They just came to study for the finals."

"But you were alone with **him**, talking with **him**, smiling with **him**, and laughing with **him**," Ryuji pointed out, his hand about ready to crush the doorknob. He let his grip slack as his hand fell away. "Aren't I good enough to make you smile and laugh?"

Kotonoha stared, realizing what was wrong. She knew Ryuji was jealous of what he saw and she also knew that he was possessive of her. What surprised her was that he didn't attack Makoto at the sight of him. He just walked away. She'd half expected Ryuji to barge in and assault Makoto but he hadn't. He cared for her feelings and didn't want to upset her.

She smiled and then wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her cheek pressed against his back as she embraced him. "There was nothing going on between him and I," she spoke, reassuringly. The ice that spread all over the door receded and turned into frost energy that returned to his hand. "What Makoto and I had is over. We're just friends now."

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions then," he apologized as he turned around in her embrace, returning her hug with a gentle one of his own. Her chin rested on his shoulder. "I just…don't want to lose you or see you get hurt by him again."

"It won't happen," she told him. "The one who holds my heart now isn't him anymore." She pulled back a bit gaze into his eyes, "It's you, now and forever." He smiled at her words and she smiled too at him before closing her eyes and hugging him close once more.

Sekai and Makoto spied on the two and she frowned before slapping his shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" he remarked.

"Because you're not romantic anymore," Sekai huffed before she walked up the stairs. Makoto stared at his girlfriend in bewilderment before staring back at his ex-girlfriend and _her_ boyfriend. He hated being compared to someone like Ryuji but he had to admit that the other boy was earning points, despite his rough and tough exterior. Ryuji caught him staring and gave him the finger which Makoto took offence to but then he followed Sekai back up the stairs and into Kotonoha's room.

When they were sure they were alone, the couple shared a kiss before Kotonoha took his hand and ran up the stairs with him to study for final exams.

Now with all four teens in Kotonoha's room, Makoto kept glancing uncomfortably at Ryuji who was just sipping tea while reviewing his schoolwork with Kotonoha. Right now they were studying English and Ryuji proved to be able to speak and understand the language better than any of them. Of course that was only because he claimed to have spent a few years living in America. Still, it was undeniable that he would be able to get a 100 in the upcoming English final.

"Sekai-san, I think Loki has some cookies in the kitchen. Would you like to come with me to help find them?" asked Kotonoha.

"Sure, Kotonoha-san," smiled Sekai to her friend. Both girls then left the room, leaving a panicking Makoto alone with Ryuji. Ryuji finished his cup of tea and put it down on the saucer before he gazed at Makoto with intense blue eyes. Makoto gulped and felt like he was going to wet himself because of the fear he was feeling rising within him. Cold sweat rolled down his pale face as he trembled under Ryuji's intense stare.

Did Kotonoha purposely leave Makoto alone with Ryuji out of revenge? Was it her plan to have Ryuji murder Makoto in this room? Makoto was thinking of all the horrible things Ryuji could do to him right now and his trembling intensified.

"Stop shaking, you're making an ass of yourself," commented Ryuji. He showed no emotion on his face as his lips were in a straight line, neither smiling nor frowning. It was completely neutral. His eyes, however, told a different story as they narrowed.

Makoto swallowed his spit and opened his mouth but no words came out. Ryuji rolled his eyes, disgusted by the lack of conversation. Did Makoto expect to get attacked by Ryuji if he said the wrong thing? It was entirely possible. Ryuji did have a reputation for beating up people for less but those were all speculations.

"If you're not going to talk then close your mouth," advised Ryuji, "That is if you want flies to nest in there." Makoto closed his mouth.

Makoto read Ryuji's body language, searching for any signs of hostility. He had to be careful. Even though Ryuji had lost in his fight with Kenzaki, he'd shown how skilled he was in the martial arts. Though he wasn't at Kenzaki's level, he was close to be able to last that long with the other martial artist. Also, Ryuji had beaten a lot of people in less than 10 minutes, like those three groups that idolized Kotonoha, Siera and Rina, out of simple annoyance. One wrong move or word could place Makoto in the hospital in an instant.

"You really don't like me all that much, do you?" asked Makoto.

"Wasn't it that obvious by now?" remarked Ryuji as he scanned his notebook and textbook. "After what you did to Koto-chan, you should be grateful that she hasn't sent me to maim you."

"But you forgave Sekai!" argued Makoto. "Why can't you do the same for me?"

Ryuji's eyes narrowed dangerously and Makoto realized he'd just crossed a line he shouldn't have. Ryuji questioned, "Why? You dare ask why?" Makoto mustered up his courage to give an answer.

"Yes, I dare!" Makoto snapped.

"Because you're her EX!" yelled Ryuji, clenching his fists tightly and Makoto blinked.

"That's it?" Makoto inquired. "It's because I'm her ex?"

"You're not just her ex. You were her first love," Ryuji continued. "No matter what I do, she'll always have a spot for you in her heart. Even though you'd broken her heart, a part of her still cares for you and…"

"You feel threatened by me," Makoto finished, realizing the source of Ryuji's contempt and jealousy. Ryuji was afraid that Makoto would steal Kotonoha's heart again.

Ryuji fell silent. He didn't want to admit that a weakling and bastard like Makoto was a threat to him but whenever he saw her smiling as she spoke to Makoto, it pained her heart. "She still smiles when she talks to you."

"She smiles when she talks to you too," Makoto reminded.

"It's not the same," Ryuji shook his head. "No matter what I do, you'll always be her first love and it just…pisses me off!" He slammed his fist on the table.

Makoto didn't know much about Ryuji's past but from a talk he had with Otome after she'd collected stuff about Ryuji for a Social Studies assignment, he'd learnt that Ryuji never experienced love like this before. It was his first time being in a real and meaningful relationship. Kotonoha was his first love and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Yes, I did have feelings for Kotonoha," said Makoto. Ryuji looked up at him and he continued, "But, well…things change." Ryuji remained silent, prompting Makoto to go on, "And I fell in love with Sekai." He admitted, "And lied to Kotonoha about it, betraying her, and breaking her heart without a second thought." Ryuji's gaze softened as he detected a hint of regret in Makoto's voice. "Now I see that she's happy with you. For some crazy reason she's happier with you than she ever was with me. I just can't compete with that. So I decided to try and make my relationship with Sekai work."

Ryuji listened to Makoto's words. They sounded sincere but he still had his doubts about the other boy. "How can I trust that you won't betray Sekai too?"

"Let's just say a mutual friend of ours had a good and long talk with me," replied Makoto, referring to Warren. Ryuji smiled. Warren's talk must've been really beneficial if it helped Makoto see the error of his ways. When Makoto saw that smile he relaxed.

"OK, I'll accept that," said Ryuji. Makoto was relieved. "But," added Ryuji in a harsh tone, thus causing Makoto to freeze, "If you ever break Sekai's heart like you did Koto-chan's, and betray her without a second thought; I will hunt you down and put you in the freezer." Makoto gave a rapid nod at the threat. Ryuji smiled. "Good, I'm glad we had this chat."

The door swung open with Sekai carrying a plate of cookies. "We've got cookies!" announced the ahoge-haired girl as she went over and sat down next to Makoto, setting down the plate on the square table. Kotonoha too entered and sat down next to Ryuji, leaning against his shoulder with a smile. She was glad that Makoto was fine, but he looked oddly tense. She gave Ryuji a look and he just shrugged in response.

"So, what's next?" asked Sekai as she munched on a cookie.

"How about Biology?" suggested Ryuji. Kotonoha turned green at the mention of the subject. She remembered when they had recently dissected frog and she'd fainted. "Or not," he added, seeing her look of discomfort.

"Maybe we should try History," suggested Sekai carefully. "World or Japanese History?" she asked.

"Does it matter?" asked Kotonoha. "Warren-sensei teaches both."

"OK, World History it is then," said Sekai as she opened up the textbook. "It's funny," spoke Sekai. "Whenever he talked about World War 2, it was like he was actually there."

Ryuji gave a mysterious yet knowing smile at her comment. '_That's because he was there_.'

"Makoto-kun, more tea?" Kotonoha offered as she held up the cup to him.

"Yeah, sure," Makoto accepted. His eyes darted over to Ryuji for a brief second before he took slow and calming sips.

* * *

Kat was outside of the apartment building. She had her phone against her ear. Her mysterious employer had decided to make a call.

"OK, I can't go through with this plan anymore," said Kat, a hint of regret in her voice. She hated going back on deals but circumstances had changed.

"_I must insist that you do_," replied Nanimo.

"Sorry, I only agreed because I thought my sister wouldn't need him anymore and could get over him. I was wrong."

"_I am sorry, but you have no choice in this matter,_" said Nanimo.

"Are you threatening me?" hissed Kat. "I don't like being threatened."

"_And I don't like my plans being ruined by some little girl who thinks she has power. I am actually a little surprised; coming from a family of such power, your lover is actually quite frail_."

Kat's eyes widened. She hissed, "Don't even think about it. If you touch her, I swear I'll…"

"_You'll what?_" interrupted Nanimo. "_Kill me?_"

"I've done it before, I can do it again."

"_I know, that's why I hired you. But I assure you, it is quite difficult to kill a dead man_."

Kat let out a sigh. "If I kill Kenzaki, you will leave my girls alone?"

"_No harm will come to them_," assured Nanimo. "_The plan will proceed as scheduled. I have the bait procured; all that is left is for you to lure the wolf to the trap_."

"Bait? What bait?" asked Kat.

"_Nee-chan! Help!_" cried Neko over the phone.

"Neko-chan!? You bastard! Let her go!" snarled Kat.

"_Not until our deal is complete. You have one hour to bring him here, or the girl dies_."

"Grr…Fine!" Kat growled as she accepted the deal.

"_I knew you'd see it my way. I'll see you in one hour_." Then the line went dead.

"Damn it," cursed Kat. "Sorry, Neko-chan." She had to tell Kenzaki about this. Hopefully, he could restrain himself from killing her long enough until they saved Neko.

* * *

Shadow Element 13: Well, now Neko and Kenzaki are engaged. Glad everything worked out for the two. I wonder how badly Kenzaki will react when he discovers what Kat had done?

ZK Chromedragozoid: I expect Kenzaki to explode for what Kat did. I mean she was working for the enemy without even knowing it.


	26. Natural Selection

Kat was outside of the apartment building. She had her phone against her ear. Her mysterious employer had decided to make a call.

"OK, I can't go through with this plan anymore," said Kat, a hint of regret in her voice. She hated going back on deals but circumstances had changed.

"_I must insist that you do_," replied Nanimo.

"Sorry, I only agreed because I thought my sister wouldn't need him anymore and could get over him. I was wrong."

"_I am sorry, but you have no choice in this matter,_" said Nanimo.

"Are you threatening me?" hissed Kat. "I don't like being threatened."

"_And I don't like my plans being ruined by some little girl who thinks she has power. I am actually a little surprised; coming from a family of such power, your lover is actually quite frail_."

Kat's eyes widened. She hissed, "Don't even think about it. If you touch her, I swear I'll…"

"_You'll what?_" interrupted Nanimo. "_Kill me?_"

"I've done it before, I can do it again."

"_I know, that's why I hired you. But I assure you, it is quite difficult to kill a dead man_."

Kat let out a sigh. "If I kill Kenzaki, you will leave my girls alone?"

"_No harm will come to them_," assured Nanimo. "_The plan will proceed as scheduled. I have the bait procured; all that is left is for you to lure the wolf to the trap_."

"Bait? What bait?" asked Kat.

"_Nee-chan! Help!_" cried Neko over the phone.

"Neko-chan!? You bastard! Let her go!" snarled Kat.

"_Not until our deal is complete. You have one hour to bring him here, or the girl dies_."

"Grr…Fine!" Kat growled as she accepted the deal.

"_I knew you'd see it my way. I'll see you in one hour_." Then the line went dead.

"Damn it," cursed Kat. "Sorry, Neko-chan." She had to tell Kenzaki about this. Hopefully, he could restrain himself from killing her long enough until they saved Neko.

* * *

"**NATURAL SELECTION"**

* * *

As soon as Kat finished explaining to Kenzaki about what happened to Neko, he immediately grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall. "You…did...WHAT!?"

And, she had apparently told him about her employer. "Look," she began, "He sprang me out of that jail cell you put me in and gave me a really good offer. And, back then, I thought you were a complete waste of Neko-chan's time. I'm still not totally sure on that score, but right now, we need to save Neko-chan!" Kat could understand how mad Kenzaki was at her…Heck, if she was him, the idiot who'd gotten her beloved captured would be dead by now…But couldn't he see they needed to work _together_ to get Neko back?!

"No, you stay here," Kenzaki growled. "You've done enough already." Kenzaki couldn't be any angrier with Kat than he was now and was really trying to restrain himself from snapping her neck. However, he knew how much killing the psycho would hurt Neko. That didn't mean he couldn't smash her face into a wall later…Maybe run over her legs with the GaroLiner while he was at it.

"Look, believe it or not, you need me because I know where he is and he wants me to bring you to him," Kat snarled; furious with herself as much as she was with Kenzaki and her thrice-damned 'employer'. "_Please_, let me help fix this." In that one word, the word which she would never have _dreamed_ of using otherwise, and especially not to the stupid wolf, she put in every ounce of her desperation and guilt and absolute_ need _to make things right for her better half.

"I don't trust you," Kenzaki stated as he loosened his grip on her.

"I know you don't, but you need to trust me now if you want to save Neko-chan," said Kat as she rubbed her shoulders, an overwhelming wave of relief spreading over her though she took care not to let it show. She hadn't been sure she would be able to convince the wolf; no matter all her good reasons. "Do we have a deal?"

"Let's save Neko first," Kenzaki said firmly.

"But first we're gonna need backup," said Kat as she slid open her phone. She knew just who to call.

* * *

"Goodnight," said Sekai as she and Makoto exited the house together. "See you in school tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Kotonoha smiled fondly as she waved to her two friends as they walked out the gate together. Kotonoha stepped back into her house and closed the door. Ryuji was leaning against the wall and she turned to smile warmly at her boyfriend. "I'm proud of you, Ryuji-kun. You didn't insult Makoto-kun once this whole time."

"Not without a lack of trying," the Rider of the DynoLiner muttered under his breath. Sand spilled out from his body and Kotonoha's before reforming into their Imagin.

"Yes, but you still managed to restrain yourself," said Loki proudly.

"However, I think you should've punished him for his past transgressions," spoke Athena.

Kotonoha sighed. Athena could see her memories. After all, Imagin gained their forms simply from memory and Athena knew all about Kotonoha since she made the contract with her. "Athena, what's done is done."

"So…" Ryuji smirked as he looped his arms around Kotonoha's waist as Athena turned her eyes away, "Shall we continue with some…Biology?" Kotonoha blushed at the implication. He bent his head down to kiss her neck but then the ringing of his phone interrupted him. "Damn it," Ryuji muttered in annoyance as he loosened he took one arm off Kotonoha and dug into his pants for his phone. He flipped it open and put it against his ear. "Talk to me."

Kotonoha watched as Ryuji listened without saying a word before he flipped his phone close and slipped out of the indoor slippers before putting on his shoes. "Ryuji-kun, what's wrong? Who called?"

"It was Kat," answered Ryuji with a serious tone. "Neko-nee's been kidnapped."

Kotonoha let out a gasp of shock.

* * *

Neko was bound to a chair, unable to access her powers or Ki for some reason. Gekiryuken was stuck in some sort of cage and banging against it with all of his might but with no avail. The girl recalled how she ended up in this state. She'd been on her way to Kotonoha's home to collect some notes to use for her study session with Kenzaki when she was suddenly ambushed by half a dozen Ninja Imagin. They blinded her with a smoke bomb and knocked her out before bringing her here. She knew who was responsible.

Nanimo.

* * *

Kenzaki looked over his shoulder to see Kat staring intently back at him. "Quit staring at me. I'm only working with you to save Neko," said Kenzaki irritably. Both were on their way to the warehouse, riding on the Machine Garo-Hunter. Kat was riding behind Kenzaki as he drove the bike.

"You still can't bring yourself to stop hating me, can you?" asked Kat snidely. There was the tiniest echo of sorrow beneath the snideness though. She knew her sister would never be completely happy if her Chosen couldn't stop hating her other half.

"No, because you've done too much wrong for me to forgive," admitted Kenzaki. "But I'm willing to put up with you, because I love Neko."

"I know, which is why I'm helping," Kat explained slowly, as though to a not-too-bright toddler. "But can you swallow your damn pride enough to accept me as part of her? I did the same and gave you my own damn blessings when I realized she'd picked you as the only one that could complete her." Grumpiness was evident in the last few words. "What I don't understand is why you could see her as the girl you loved and not as the monster that killed your family. You treat me like I'm Sauron."

"You act like Sauron," growled Kenzaki. "You show a lack of remorse for anything you've done." Well, that wasn't exactly true. He remembered when Kat had returned and apologized to everyone for all the bad she had done while under the influence of Sauron. After begging for forgiveness from her family, she gave a half-hearted apology to the Titans. But when she got to Kenzaki, she just scoffed and left, as if she never did anything wrong to him. If Neko wasn't there to hold him back, the Titans would still be scrubbing Kat's brains off the walls.

"I know, and I'm _not_ sorry for most of the things I've done. Would you prefer I put on some fake show of regret instead? But…" Here Kat had to pause as she struggled with her pride. Her next words were noticeably softer. "I am sorry and I do regret a few things. Making all that trouble between you and Neko-chan for one. It was fun; I won't deny that and I thoroughly enjoyed it…But it ended up hurting my beloved Neko instead of helping her. I was just trying to make her see that you weren't good enough but I was wrong. While she was staying with me, all she could talk about was you. She loves you and all she wants is for you to stop hating me. You may think I'm lying, but that's the truth," explained Kat. Bitterness had tinged her words as she recounted how much her sister loved the stupid wolf. He still wasn't worthy of her, in Kat's opinion, but he _was_ the only one who could make her happy.

Kenzaki glared at Kat. "I'll never stop hating you. I can tolerate you for her sake, but she said it herself; family comes first and I ain't family until we're married. You'll always come before me and I can't deal with that." That was his biggest problem, the fact that Neko would always value Kat over him. Even though she said she loved him, as long as Kat came first those would always just be empty words.

"You have to. She wants you to stop hating. It's unhealthy. Do you love Neko-chan enough to not hate me anymore?" Absently, Kat reflected on how ironic it was that she, the one who had hated her brother so much for so long, was conducting a lecture on the unhealthiness of hate.

"I love Neko more than I hate you, that's as far as I can go. Maybe if you expressed a little bit of guilt for what you did as Copycat I could stop hating you, but that isn't your thing."

"Like I said, I'm not one to put up false shows of regret over things I really think aren't any big deal. I'm a bad girl. You can't expect me to change like that overnight. You can't expect Neko to stop loving me. Look at Ryuki. He considers me family still despite all the things I've done."

"I'm fine with the fact that she loves you. You're family so it's to be expected. My problem is that she cares more for you than she does for me sometimes."

"Can you really blame her for that?" asked Kat, an incredulous, almost scoffing tone in her voice. Who did the wolf think he was?

"That she cares for a psycho like you more than the man she loves?" asked Kenzaki. Even though he loved Neko, he longed to be her most important person, and as long as Kat was around, that could never happen. "Yeah, I can."

"It's a strong bond." What an understatement. "Believe it or not we are two halves of the same soul. Naturally, she and I would always be close."

"Still, I thought after 2 years we'd be closer than that," said Kenzaki, a sad look in his eyes.

"You can't break a soul bond like that," she said, now almost pitying the wolf and his inability to understand. "Ryuji and Ryuki are the same. We all are part of each other. Can you hate part of yourself truly?" asked Kat.

"That's not the problem. I'm fine with the fact that she loves you despite ALL of your flaws. It just makes me love her more."

"Then tell her that," Kat urged. "Kenzaki, when you proposed to her, you not only asked her to be your wife, but also to be part of her family. That means you're going to be part of my family (heaven forbid). Sides, I'm not the one you hate. You just hate what I remind you of."

"If only it were that simple. She told me herself that you'll always come first. That no matter what I do, she'll always choose you over me," explained Kenzaki. "Besides, you really think _your_ family wants me to be a member? They probably all hate me as much as you do."

"I told her to put you in her heart first. I'm just her sister," there was a faint note of irony in the 'just', but she doubted Kenzaki would hear it. "But you're the one she loves with all heart. You're special. Being with you…it stops her from crying."

Kenzaki was slightly surprised by the admission and replied, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks, Kat." OK, maybe he'd just run over one leg.

"It took me awhile to understand why I didn't like you. Guess maybe I didn't want to lose my good half to you. She was always able to keep me straight when I was bad."

"Does this mean that you accept me?"

"I gave you my blessings, didn't I?"

"While threatening to flay me alive," joked Kenzaki.

"Yeah, well, you made her cry first. Now, let's go take care of my bastard of an employer and then get you back together with my sis!" shouted Kat as she and Kenzaki rode towards their destination.

**

* * *

  
**

The duo finally reached an abandoned warehouse before Kenzaki stopped the bike and both dismounted. Kenzaki removed his helmet and looked the building over before giving Kat a critical eye. "A warehouse?" Kenzaki questioned.

"Its cliché, but it still works as a villain's hideout," said Kat, having used warehouses several times in her villainous career.

Kenzaki gave Kat a look before turning his attention back to the warehouse. "Neko, are you in here? Are you alright?" Kat had described her (former) employer's appearance to Kenzaki and the bounty hunter had the sinking suspicion that he knew whom the one who took Neko was. It was only a hunch, really, but it was too close of a resemblance to be a coincidence.

The entrance to the warehouse was half closed so the two bent over and entered the building. There were no lights on and it was dark inside. Kat could see just fine and so could Kenzaki.

"Well, you both finally showed up," said a cold metallic voice that both Kenzaki and Kat recognized. The lights soon came on and Kenzaki saw Neko with her wrists and ankles shackles to the armrests and legs of a chair. Also, standing next to her was a masked and cloaked figure with his hood up. Kenzaki recognized him.

"Nanimo…" growled Kenzaki.

"Hello, brother," Nanimo greeted.

Kat gaped, "BROTHER!?"

"Long story," Kenzaki said. He saw that Nanimo had his hand on Neko's shoulder.

"Ken-kun! Nee-chan!" exclaimed Neko in elation.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Neko," Kenzaki said to her reassuringly before he said to Nanimo, "Let Neko go, Nanimo. You got what you want."

"Oh, are you talking about my revenge on you for turning me into this freak?" said Nanimo with hatred in his voice. "Oh, no…not yet. I haven't had my revenge yet."

Kenzaki then saw a flash of light at the corner of his eye as Kat assumed her Rider form before she suddenly drove her claws right through Kenzaki from behind. Neko's eyes widened in horror and she opened her mouth to let out a shriek.

"KEN-KUN!!!" shouted Neko, "NEE-CHAN!?"

"Kat…?" Kenzaki looked betrayed.

"Sorry, nothing personal," said CopyKat. "It's just business." She twisted her claws in Kenzaki.

"NO!" Neko shrieked as she watched her sister murder her beloved wolf.

"And the wolf bites the dust," said CopyKat with a smirk as she withdrew her claws out of Kenzaki's back and watched as he collapsed onto the ground. She'd literally stabbed him in the back.

"How…how could you!?" cried Neko in disbelief. She now realized how evil her dark half was. She'd been betrayed by Kat. It all slowly sunk it. Kenzaki was right all along.

CopyKat tilted her head to the side and said, "What's with the waterworks, sis? I just put the dog to sleep. You're too good for him anyway."

"Ken-kun…" said Neko sadly. The boy she loved was gone forever. "Ken-kun…" Tears fell from her eyes and dripped to the ground as she sobbed.

"Excellent work, CopyKat. I knew I was right in hiring you for the job," said Nanimo, his mechanical voice still cold and empty.

"Yeah, it's all good. I did my part so now let my sister go," said CopyKat.

"I don't quite remember that being part of our deal," Nanimo replied.

"What?" hissed CopyKat. Her eyes widened beneath her helmet as Nanimo's arm turned into a blade, and was positioned at Neko's throat. Neko cringed as she felt the cold metal pressed against her neck.

"Any parting words for your sister?" asked the villain.

"Two: Double Cross," said CopyKat.

Nanimo gave CopyKat and odd look before one of the walls exploded and a motorbike burst in, ridden by Kamen Rider Ifrit Plat Form. Ifrit rode towards Nanimo and rammed into him, sending him flying into several empty crates.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," said CopyKat as she went over to the chair and used her claws to cut open the shackles.

"Thanks," said Ifrit. "And, I brought help." Behind him, Okami, Buraki, Byakko, Raion and Loki entered.

"WE HAVE ARRIVED!" Raion announced loudly, playing air guitar.

"Nee-chan?" asked Neko, her voice a mixture of sadness and anger once she was freed. She refused to look CopyKat in the face.

"Don't worry. Your boy-toy is fine," assured CopyKat.

"Nani?" questioned Neko as she looked over at Kenzaki's 'dead' body and was overjoyed to see him jump up, his Geki flaring off of his body. "NANIMO!!!" he roared.

Nanimo got back to his feet, glaring at CopyKat angrily, "We had a deal**.**"

"The deal was off when you threatened my family!" CopyKat retorted angrily. "Sorry, but there are even things I won't even do you son of a bitch!"

Nanimo snapped his fingers and his Ninja Imagin army appeared to aid him. Along with them was the Nightmare Imagin who'd messed with Ifrit a while back, an Imagin that looked similar to the Grim Reaper and another Imagin who looked like a demon. The Demon Imagin had red skin, curled horns and a forked tail. It stood at about seven feet tall and had razor sharp claws. The Reaper Imagin was shrouded in a robe with bony hands and a skull face as well as holding a large scythe and wearing boots and pants.

"You guys handle the Imagin," said Kenzaki as he fastened on The Garoh Belt and gripped Tenrou with his Garoh Pass. "Nanimo's mine."

"Whatever you say," said Ifrit as he pressed the blue button on his belt and swiped his Dyno Pass over the buckle.

"**TRICERA FORM!**"

"Hey, Neko-chan, catch!" called CopyKat as she broke the cage holding Gekiryuken and then tossed her sister her partner back. In midair, Gekiryuken assumed his Keyblade form before Neko caught him.

"Right," Neko smiled fondly as she turned to look at Kenzaki who smiled back. "Gekiryu Henshin!"

"Lunar Henshin!" Kenzaki slid his Garoh Pass along the flat of Tenrou's blade.

"**LUNAR FORM!**"

Nanimo commanded, "Attack."

The enemy Imagin charged at the GaroLiner Hunters, CopyKat and Ifrit, who all charged right back.

Ifrit quickly assembled his DynoGasher bars into a gun which he used to shoot down the Ninja Imagin around him. They all fell like dominos after each shot. His Tricera-Buster then equipped itself to his left fist and he used it to send powerful blasts of energy to send them all flying. His eyes fell on the Nightmare Imagin and he growled before rushing at the thing that had given him nightmares and drove him mad.

Meanwhile, CopyKat was slashing at the Ninja Imagin army like crazy using her axes before she switched to using her claws as she fought like a raging berserker. She was wearing a large grin under her helmet as she laughed all the time while slaying the Ninja Imagin. She infused her right claw with Rinki before running one of them right through before dragging it alongside her as she charged at some Ninja Imagin. With a swing of her arm, she tossed that Imagin into a group of its own and watched as it exploded, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the others with it. She then set her sights on the Demon Imagin.

Okami, Raion, Byakko, Loki and Buraki weren't idle either. They were all armed with their respective weapons and striking down any enemy Imagin they could get in their sights. Okami slashed at them with his scimitar, Byakko smashed into them with a flurry of punches and kicks, Raion was striking at them with his naginata, Buraki was shooting at them with his flamethrower gun, and Loki was hacking them apart with his flame engulfed Loki Slicer.

Ifrit kicked the Nightmare Imagin in the head and then shot it several times in the chest before placing the gun to his hip. "Time to finish this, asshole," growled Ifrit as he waved his Dyno Pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"HYAH!" Ifrit bellowed as he rammed his Tricera-Buster into the Nightmare Imagin. The charge up finally reached his weapon and the blast engulfed the evil Imagin, vaporizing it completely. No trace of it was left, much to Ifrit delight and satisfaction. "That was for the nightmares." Suddenly, he was struck from behind and sparks flew from his back. Spinning around, he saw that it was the Reaper Imagin. "So, you want some of this too, huh?"

Replacing his DynoGasher Gun and Tricera-Buster to their proper spots, Ifrit summoned his twin Ifrit Dao and charged at the Reaper Imagin. The bony Imagin parried all of Ifrit's swings with the shaft of its scythe before slashing at Ifrit's chest. Sparks flew, but Ifrit didn't flinch and countered with several quick slashes of his own before kicking the Imagin into several crates.

As for CopyKat, she was hacking and slashing at the Demon Imagin who was using a trident to fight her right back. Its size and strength outclassed her but the antagonistic female Rider was not one to give up even in the face of a tough opponent. When the Demon Imagin thrust its trident at her, she jumped up and landed upon the head of the weapons before she ran along the shaft and leapt up to smashed both her feet into its face. When she flipped away, she tossed one of her axes at it, chopping of one of its horns much to its anger before in a fury it struck with its trident more ferociously.

Garoh and Ryukendo were both upon Nanimo who was parrying their blows using steel blades which were once his hands. Sparks flew as the couple attacked their mutual foe. He leapt back from a devastating attack that would most likely slice him apart before leaping upwards and landing upon a mountain of crates.

"Give it up, Nanimo!" shouted Garoh. "You're outmatched! Just make it easier on yourself and give yourself up!"

"That's right! Turn yourself in and we will take it easy on you!" added Ryukendo, knowing the correct negotiation procedures when dealing with difficult bounties.

"And then have you collect your reward?" Nanimo snorted. "I don't think so." His hands turned back to normal as he reached into his cloak to pull out something unexpected. It was the same Rider belt Tatsuya had used many months ago. With a swing, he wrapped it around his waist and fastened it on before producing a Rider Pass. Pressing a button, he swiped the pass over the belt with a call of, "Henshin."

The Reaper Imagin took this as a signal and converted into a spirit form that dove into Nanimo's body as the belt called out,** "REAPER FORM!"**

The all black Plat Form suit formed before the additional armor pieces appeared and attached to his body. The first was a chestplate resembling a skull with empty black sockets. Then, shoulders pads with scythe blades on them attached themselves onto Nanimo's body. A cloak hung from his shoulders, resembling the Reaper Imagin's robe, and finally, a skull-like mask with scythe blades protruding out of the eye sockets formed and slid down the helmet to fit onto the faceplate. The hood of the cloak rose up to cover over the helmet as the eyes of the chestplate flashed.

This was Kamen Rider Shi, Nanimo's Rider form. With a flick of his wrist, the Reaper Imagin's weapon, the Reaper Scythe, formed in his hand and he gripped it tightly. He gave the weapon a twirl before gripping it tight in both hands. "Now, you die," Shi said in Nanimo's emotionless voice, meaning that he was in control and not the Imagin in him. He then lunged at both Garoh and Ryukendo with his weapon.

Garoh and Ryukendo were stunned by the change.

Ifrit noticed the change but then he turned his eyes towards CopyKat who was having trouble with the Demon Imagin. She had her axes crossed above her head, trying to hold off the Imagin's trident from piercing her head. Looking back and forth between the two situations was putting Ifrit in a tough spot. Who should he help? "Kuso…"

CopyKat was forced onto her knees and her current position didn't allow her to use any of her techniques. "Damn it!" she cursed. Suddenly, a fireball went sailing through the air and then exploded against the Demon Imagin's head, sending it staggering backwards.

"HYAH!" Byakko roared as he sailed through the air and then smashed into the Demon Imagin with a flying kick. CopyKat felt hands around her arms and looked up to her left and right to see Okami and Raion. They both pulled her up and she didn't reject their help.

"You okay?" Raion asked.

"Thanks," said CopyKat in honest gratitude.

"Yeah, well, don't push it," said Okami gruffly. Kat had put their Rider in a huge mess so it was going to take time for them to forgive her as well.

"Just let us handle this demon," offered Byakko. "Go help Neko-sama and Kenzaki-sama."

CopyKat nodded in appreciation before she ran towards another fight. More Ninja Imagin appeared to block her path but they were taken care of by Loki's burning sword and Buraki's burning shots. "Go!" Loki insisted.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" grinned CopyKat.

Ryukendo's sword strike blocked by the curved blade of the scythe before Shi pushed forward to rip the weapon out of her hands and had it tossed aside. With a downward strike, he slashed her over the chest, causing her to let out a scream of pain.

Enraged, Garoh dashed forward and pushed Ryukendo out of harm's way to engage Shi. She tumbled along the ground and picked up her sword. However, she didn't make a motion to move forward and only watched.

Trapped in a deadlock, Garoh said, "It's me you want to kill. You don't have to involve others."

Even Shi's emotionless voice couldn't hide his contempt and anger, "You took everything away from me. It's only fair that I do the same to you." He then kneed Garoh in the gut before striking him across the back with the heavy shaft of his Reaper Scythe. Shi then used a roundhouse kick to throw Garoh backwards. Before he could torture Garoh some more, several shots bombarded Shi in the chest and the force of the shots sent him staggering backwards. The evil Rider looked towards where the shots had come from to see Ifrit. "And looks like my old toy has returned."

Ifrit hated Nanimo/Shi. This bastard had messed with his mind, turned him into a puppet, and sent him on a mission to kill his friends. There was hell to pay and Ifrit wanted payback. "Teme, you're going to pay for what you did to me!!!" He shot continuously at Shi who blocked the subsequent shots by spinning his scythe before him like a helicopter propeller and they just ricocheted off harmlessly. However, he should be watching his back.

**SLASH! RIP!**

CopyKat was right behind him and had swiped at his back with her claws, tearing up his cloak and ripping sparks off his armor. Shi looked over his shoulder and spun around to strike at her with his scythe but she ducked under the swing and then stabbed at his chestplate with her claws. "This is for tricking me," she said coldly. "And this is for taking my sister! RAIGO DAN!"

**BOOM!**

The Rinki ball smashed into Shi's chest and exploded, sending him flying across the warehouse and into the far wall. He managed to dig himself out, but then found himself surrounded by Garoh, Ifrit and CopyKat. "What is this?" he questioned.

"You're end," said Ifrit coldly as he replaced his gun to his hip and summoned his Ifrit Dao again.

"BANZAI!" roared CopyKat as the three charged ahead with their weapons.

Ryukendo watched the fight and Gekiryuken spoke, "Aren't you going to join them?"

"I'll only get in the way," she replied. "Besides, they all have a personal grudge against Nanimo. It's only right that they be the one to settle it.

**CRASH!**

Ryukendo turned towards the sound to see the Demon Imagin still fighting with their Imagin allies. They would be able to keep the big brute busy. The Ninja Imagin had all been taken care of by now. She then turned her attention back towards the 3 on 1 Rider fight taking place before her.

Shi was outnumbered and it was only logical that he would lose. He stood in the centre as Garoh, CopyKat and Ifrit stood in a triangle formation, summoning up their Ki to unleash a powerful combination attack.

"Gengi!" proclaimed Ifrit.

"Ringi!" proclaimed CopyKat.

"Gekiwaza!" proclaimed Garoh.

Ifrit, Garoh and CopyKat then called as one, "DELTA FORCE STRIKE!!!"

The three Riders fired blasts of Ki directly at Shi who had no routes of escape. The three blasts engulfed him before an explosion erupted from all three colliding with him. Garoh gave out a sigh of regret at killing his brother…but the Nanimo he knew as a brother had died a long time ago…

"A very powerful attack. A normal human would have been killed. However, I am not normal, not anymore," said Shi as he walked out of the smoke cloud, unharmed.

"Kuso…" cursed CopyKat in disbelief.

"What is he? Immortal?" asked a shocked Ifrit.

"Worse," said Garoh. "He's indestructible."

"Time to end this," said Shi as he waved his Rider Pass across his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**" the belt announced darkly

"No way!" challenged Ifrit as he too waved his Pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Shi gazed upon his enemies, gripping his scythe tightly as the Full Charge reached the blade. The blade of his scythe glowed and then he swung it down in an arch, sending an energy blade flying at them.

"HAH!" Ifrit bellowed as he pulled the trigger of his DynoGasher Gun, sending a beam of blue spiraling energy crashing at the energy blade. The counter attack seemed to work but Shi's Full Charge finished cut through Ifrit's attack, and continued to fly towards…Ryukendo!

"NEKO!!!" roared Garoh. He then pushed his fiancée out of the way and received the attack in her place as the energy blade impaled him. His armor shattered as a result. Everyone was shocked as Nanimo's Full Charge impaled Kenzaki.

"DAMN YOU!" Ifrit roared. "YOU KILLED HIM!"

"YOU BASTARD!" CopyKat screeched.

The brother and sister leapt up and then attacked together, executing a Double Rider Kick which smashed into Shi. However, he just swung his energized scythe and knocked both of them away. CopyKat and Ifrit tumbled along the ground back to the group.

"My mission is complete. Kenzaki is dead. You people are of no interest to me," said the evil Rider with grim satisfaction.

"I'll show you no interest! GOYU KOHA!!!" roared CopyKat. The aura lioness attacked, but to no avail as it was shattered by Nanimo's power.

Ryuji shed off his armor and shouted, "BEAST OUT!" He roared as he pulled his hair back and changed to his Orphenoch form. Nanimo appeared in front of him. Ifrit was shocked when he was pulled down by the horns and into Nanimo's knee. The Ifrit Orphenoch recoiled in shock and pain before he was kicked hard in the gut and sent flying into a wall by the attack.

"See you all at the funeral," said Shi before he wrapped his cape around him and vanished. The Demon Imagin, seeing this, flew up towards the ceiling and crashed right through as he made its escape.

* * *

When Warren arrived, it was already too late. The GaroLiner Hunters, Kat and Ryuji all surrounded their fallen comrade with looks of regret and sadness.

"So not cool…" said Raion.

"Kenzaki-kun…" said Buraki.

"Ken-kun…" cried Neko.

"Damn it…Damn, not again…Why did this have to happen again…" cursed Ryuji as he clenched his fists. This was like Tazuka all over again. Like him, Kenzaki had sacrificed himself to save someone he held dear to him.

"Kenzaki-sama! Forgive me! I could not fulfill me pledge to protect you!" cried Byakko.

"God damn it! God damn it!!" roared Okami. "Shonen! How the fuck can you die this easily!? After everything the two of us fought against, how can you die like this!?"

"Damn it…" cursed Kat as she knelt down and grabbed Kenzaki by his shirt before pulling him up and shaking him. "Oi! You idiot! Wake up! You're making my sister cry! Wake up so I can kick your ass! Oi! Oi! Bastard! You aren't allowed to die! Didn't you promise that after this you and Neko would always be together!?" She began slapping him but then she too started to cry. "Wake up you bastard…"

"Kat!" shouted Ryuji. "Get off of him! You're not helping!"

"Nee-chan! Stop!" cried Neko.

Kat cried, "This bastard's making you cry! I won't let him! Wake up, baka-inu!"

"It ain't doing any good," said Okami sadly. "Oi! Baka-Imoogi, Baka-Lion. We should get the girls out of here."

"Wake up!!!" cried Kat.

"Huh, I had the strangest dream," muttered Kenzaki as he began coming to. "Some ugly cat-demon was crying over me." He looked at Kat and smirked.

"Baka!" she shouted.

"Aw! I never knew you cared!" said Kenzaki sarcastically.

**POW!!!**

Kenzaki rubbed the spot where Kat had just punched him. "OK, you're the same Kat. Just had to make sure."

"Don't push it, baka-okami!" hissed Kat. She then blushed slightly. "I still don't like you."

"Yeah, well you're still a psycho," Kenzaki shot back.

"And proud of it! Now, go and kiss Neko before I have to kill you."

Kenzaki and Neko looked at each other. Neko was the first to speak. "I'm glad you came to rescue me, Ken-kun" she said.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Kenzaki. He stroked her cheek gently, eliciting a purr, "You're my girl."

"Yes, well, even so, I thought you'd be too upset with Nee-chan to have her help you," said Neko. She was unable to look him in the eye.

"While I am still upset about her, you're important to me, Neko," said Kenzaki. He was still angry at Kat for all the crap that she'd put them through which had caused them to break up in the first place.

"I'm also glad that you and my sister are getting along now," said Neko, a hint of joy in her voice.

"Well, don't get used to it," scoffed Kenzaki. "I still can't stand that psycho." Neko sniffled. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry if I'm not good enough for you. I'm just too tainted," mumbled Neko, the joy in her voice replaced by sadness. During her captivity, Nanimo kept telling her how she could never wash away the blood and her sins.

"Neko, you're not the only one with blood on their hands," said Kenzaki.

"What do you mean?" asked Neko, confused. "I know you are usually violent when you hunt down bounties, but I don't think you've killed anyone."

"That's not true. After Gou died, and before I took the title of Garoh, I stopped hunting bounties and became an assassin," admitted Kenzaki.

"An…assassin!?" gasped Neko.

Kenzaki nodded, "Yes, an assassin. I couldn't take hunting people down, vicious people who've done horrible things, just to see them walk away."

"So, you and I have both shed blood."

"No, Neko," denied Kenzaki. "You never killed someone yourself, I have." Even after all this time, he still didn't see her as that monster.

"Kat and I shared the same body with a dark monster. It was still our body. It was still us. And…deep down…we enjoyed it. We enjoyed the freedom. Unbound by rules. We could do anything we wanted. Sauron gave it to us…and warped us."

Kenzaki jerked his thumb at Kat. "Well, with that one I can understand, but you're fine, Neko. But if you are still searching for redemption, then let me help you."

"Oh, Ken-kun," said Neko happily as she hugged him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Neko-chan," said Kenzaki, returning her hug. Neko leaned up and kissed him deeply, having missed the feeling for a very long time.

"Cheh!" Kat scoffed, glaring at them. She had always viewed Neko as hers. She was selfish and possessive of Neko and didn't want anyone to steal her away. However, she knew she had to let her sister go. And well, Kenzaki wasn't all that bad. Maybe.

"We should get him onto the GaroLiner so I can check him out," said Warren. "If his Full Charge was able to pierce Kenzaki's skin, we don't know what else it may have done."

* * *

A few hours later Warren and Kenzaki walked out of the Medical Car of the GaroLiner. "Well, I managed to fix up the surface wound, but your internal injuries are pretty bad. So, no major fights until they're completely healed," suggested Warren.

"About how long?" asked Kenzaki.

"I'd say not until after summer," answered Warren.

Kenzaki muttered, "Crap." Nanimo was still at large and Kenzaki had a responsibility to capture and bring his brother in.

"You better use this down time you have to study," suggested Warren as he made his way to the dining car. "Final exams are just around the corner."

"Yeah, sure," Kenzaki nodded halfheartedly. How was he supposed to study for exams knowing that Nanimo was still out there and plotting against him?

* * *

**Time Skip, Several Days Later, the Last Day of Final Exams…**

"And pencils down. Please, pass up your test papers one at a time…" instructed Rachel once the time was up. "…And let's hope none of you cheated," she added, with a significant look aimed towards Kat.

The former villainess scarcely noticed it though. Almost before the final words were out of Rachel's mouth, Kat had already jumped on top of her desk screaming and waving her paper wildly.

"HALLELUIAH!" she shouted, performing an impromptu victory dance on her desk. "EXAMS ARE OVER!!! NO MORE STUDYING!!!! OUR SUMMER VACATION IS SAFE!!!!!! WA-HOOOO!!!!"

Still whooping, she grabbed her bag with her free hand and vaulted from desk to desk down the classroom, soaring over her classmates' heads and almost braining a few as she sent their papers flying. "POP OPEN THE BEER!! IT'S PARTY TIME!!!! YAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!"

Slamming her paper down on the teacher's table, she bolted out the door before anyone had time to react. "FREEEEEDDOOOM!!!!!"

Her classmates all stared at the door. They'd grown used to Kat's acts of randomness but even this was a bit much. The papers she'd knocked aside and stepped on in her headlong flight over the desks were still fluttering to the floor with their owners too stunned to pick them up.

Hikari and Nanami stared and the loopy-haired girl asked Rose, "She must be really happy, huh?"

"Well, of course she is," answered Rose.

"You don't suppose you could have made her calm down a bit?" asked Nanami as everyone continued to simply stare at the wide open door that Kat used to make her exit only moments ago.

"Even I can't work miracles," stated Rose.

* * *

In another classroom, Warren said, "Alright, pencil's down. Please, pass your papers up to the front."

"Hah…" Ryuji breathed in relief as he let go of his pencil. "Done…"

"How did you do?" asked Kotonoha as she picked up her and Ryuji's papers to pass up to the front of the class.

"After all that studying, I should get an A," grinned Ryuji confidently. He looked around the class. Benitora was twirling his pencil around, Vash and Taisuke looked mentally exhausted, Sekai and Makoto were chatting happily, and Otome was fast asleep on her desk. '_She must've pulled an all nighter_.' He saw Siera and Rina recovering from the ordeal as well. His eyes then fell upon Neko and Kenzaki. '_Wonder how they did?_'

"Well, let's hope so," smiled Kotonoha. "I wouldn't want our summer plans ruined."

After all the papers were collected and Warren walked out of the classroom to get them graded in the staff room, Ryuji and Kotonoha walked over to Kenzaki and Neko.

"So, how did you guys do?" Ryuji asked.

"I have a hole in my stomach, kinda hard to keep my mind on the test," answered Kenzaki. "I may not be able to feel pain, but it still bugs me."

"But I don't think we failed," added Neko, trying to be positive.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Ryuji. "What worries me is the princesses." Ryuji gestured at Rina and Siera who were coming over. He then asked them, "So, how was it?"

"I don't know!" Siera said woefully. "I barely remembered what I studied at all!"

"That bad, huh?" frowned Ryuji.

"Well, I had some worries but I managed to answer all the questions," said Rina confidently, her air of nobility never falling. She wrapped her arms around Ryuji's "So, why don't we bail and celebrate?"

"Hey!" Kotonoha snapped as she pulled Ryuji away from the demon princess. "Don't get too close to my Ryuji-kun!" Ryuji sighed. Seemed the war over him was going to continue.

Kenzaki looked up, "Did you hear that?"

The door slid open and Kat ran in, shouting, "FREEDOM!!! PARTY!!! WOOHOO!!!"

The rest of the students gawked at Kat who was running in, screaming like a maniac. Kenzaki groaned. She wasn't someone he wanted to see at a time like this. Rose came in, excused herself, and dragged the excited girl out of the classroom.

"Kat-neechan," sighed Neko, embarrassed by her sister.

"She's very spirited," commented Gekiryuken.

"Hey, school's out, exams are over," said Ryuji. "I think Kat has the right idea. We should party."

"Hey, did someone say party?" grinned Taisuke.

"If you wanna party, you should invite us," said Vash.

Ryuji rolled his eyes. Still, he had to invite some familiar faces. He looked to see Setsuna, as stoic as ever, and talking to Sekai and Makoto. "Hey, Sekai, Setsuna, Itou," Ryuji called. "All of us are gonna be celebrating the end of exams later. You in or out?"

"I don't have any objections," said Setsuna.

"Hey, sounds like fun," smiled Sekai. "Makoto, what do you say?"

Makoto stared at Ryuji warily. While Ryuji tolerated and accepted him as part of Kotonoha's life, Makoto could sense that Ryuji still disliked him. "Well, I think that sounds fine." He then asked Otome. "Otome, what about you?"

"I got something special planned with the girls," said Otome, declining the offer politely. The girls she was referring to were Natsumi, Kumi and Manami. They hadn't spent much time together lately and wanted to make up for it. "But thanks for the invite." Her crush for Makoto had subsided but she still considered him a friend.

"What about you, Benitora-san?" asked Kotonoha.

"I'm gonna go out with Hikari-chan," smiled Benitora. "She promised me lots of sweets!" Hikari knew exactly what to do to make the Arrancar happy. He had a huge sweet tooth. "Thanks though, maybe some other time."

"Well, suit yourself," said Ryuji as he got out of his seat. He didn't care either way. "Let's get out of here. I don't wanna stay on school grounds more than I should."

As the group of students started to exit, with Ryuji in the lead, there was a loud cry of, "RYUJI HASUMA!"

"Oh, damn," muttered Ryuji. "Not again." He looked to his left at the end of the hallway to see the KLLA members standing there. "Not you idiots again."

"That's right, Ryuji Hasuma," the leader said. "We have been kept busy by exams but today the KLLA, Kotonoha Love-Love Association, is free to punish you for monopolizing our darling Kotonoha-chan!"

"NOT SO FAST, RYUJI HASUMA!" shouted the leader of the SSSS. He and his gang were on the other end of the hallway. "We, the SSSS, Suki-Suki Siera Society, shall be first to exact our vengeance!"

"BUT NOT BEFORE US!" the leader of the LLRB proclaimed as he and his own gang were climbing through the windows of the hallway. "We the LLRB, the Lovely-Lovely Rina Brigade, have first dibs!"

Ryuji looked around, surrounded by the three idol fanclubs. Kotonoha, Rina and Siera were taking offence to their audacity at challenging their Ryuji. It was really ticking them off. Kotonoha was ready to deal her own brand of divine justice as she slowly pulled her dozuki out. Siera and Rina were going to try their magic as well.

"Need some help?" Kenzaki offered.

"I got this," said Ryuji as his eyes glowed gold. Under his breath he whispered, "Genkaiho (Mythical Release)."

"PREPARE TO DIE RYUJI HA-!" the three group leaders shouted before they froze and were instantly floored by the massive amount of killing intent that Ryuji was suddenly radiating. His eyes gleamed with almost inhuman ferocity as he glared at the fanboys. Every single member was suddenly seized by unspeakable terror that utterly took over their senses. Cold sweat beaded off their skin and the blood drained from their faces till they were as pale as ghosts. Another few moments later and they had all fallen to their knees in fear as their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Those who didn't know of Ryuji's true abilities were awed and amazed as Ryuji brought the three groups to their knees by just looking at them. If they looked close, they would notice his gold eyes. Those that were able to detect Ki/Reiatsu could see the malevolent energy around Ryuji spreading out and enveloping the bothersome male groupies. When he was satisfied, he inhaled and called back his killing intent and Ki. His eyes also turned back to normal as he stared back at his victims. Some of the groupies looked as though they'd wet themselves.

"Let's go," ordered Ryuji as he walked down the hallway. The groupies all fled as he walked their way.

* * *

Once at the shoe lockers, conversation continued.

"Wow, you sure did a number on them," pointed out Benitora. He had sensed Ryuji's Reiatsu and was impressed by the amount he possessed.

"Still, was that really necessary?" asked Kenzaki with a frown. He may not like those people but even he wouldn't use his Ki in such a way; not like he could if he wanted to. Geki was different from Genki as it was born from a heart of justice and not a heart filled with malevolence like Rinki.

"No, but it was fun," answered Ryuji. He loved messing with people. He really did. Using his Ki like that to make people piss themselves scared was just so enjoyable. That was something he and Kay could agree upon.

"Well, you may want to be careful, kohai," said Warren as he walked up to them. He'd sensed the malevolent Ki Ryuji had released earlier and came down to check on things. He wanted to make sure things were okay for his students and friends. "That kind of thing can get you some very unwanted and unwelcomed attention. Rae was ready to go on the attack when she first felt it."

"Fine, fine," Ryuji nodded. He didn't want to admit it, but Warren was right. Releasing so much killing intent like that could cause massive hysteria. "I won't do anything like that again." Of course he had his fingers crossed.

Warren smiled at his kohai. "Good to know." He knew he could trust Ryuji. Of course, he should've noticed those crossed fingers.

"So, what do you think of our answers?" asked Ryuji, hoping to get the info on their exam results in advance.

Warren grinned, "They're all horrible, and none of you pass!"

Makoto, Taisuke and Sekai's eyes bugged out of their heads. "WHAT!?" they shouted in unison.

Ryuji sighed as he noticed how big Warren's grin was. "Warren-sensei, don't joke. You're no Gar." Ryuji himself knew of Beast Boy's famous sense of humor and didn't find it at all funny.

"You're right, I'm funnier," countered Warren. He said to the panicking students, "Don't worry guys, I'm just kidding. They were all pretty good actually." Sekai, Taisuke and Makoto were deeply relieved. For a second they forgot that Warren wasn't only their teacher, but their friend as well. Sometimes he just liked to joke around much like the rest of them.

Siera and Rina were both awed by Ryuji's earlier display of power. Though he hadn't targeted them with his killing intent, they could feel the heavy aura of complete malevolence he released before to subdue those cretins (the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB) and bring them to their knees without any effort. It also frightened Siera but Rina was the most impressed. If he was to be the future ruler of the Demon Kingdom he would have to be a feared and respected, able to intimidate those who looked upon him.

* * *

"KANPAI!" the group of students cheers as they toasted, clinking their glasses together to celebrate the end of their final exams.

The party itself was being held at Radish. With Kotonoha and Sekai dressed in their cute little waitress outfits, Taisuke and Vash couldn't tear their eyes away, until Ryuji glared at them to make them stop, releasing just the tiniest bit of killing intent to scare them silly. Ryuji himself was also dressed in his uniform and being admired by Siera and Rina. It was Kotonoha's turn to glare this time.

Neko laughed as she heard Sekai tell her a funny joke. As she giggled, the wielder of Gekiryuken cast her eyes upon her fiancé.

At the counter, Kenzaki was sipping some iced tea when Youko approached him. "You're Kenzaki Tsukuba-san, right?"

"Yeah," answered Kenzaki.

"Interested in a job?" offered Youko.

"Why? Seems you have plenty of people to work here as it is. Besides, I'm not exactly a…people person," said Kenzaki. He then jumped slightly as Neko wrapped her arms around him. "Neko?"

"I say you should do, it Ken-kun," said Neko excitedly. "You'd look really cute in your uniform!"

"You really think I should do it?" asked Kenzaki. Neko nodded rapidly. "Well, looks like you've got yourself new employee."

Youko smiled fondly. With the addition of another hunk like Kenzaki, business was sure to improve.

* * *

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when it happened. Both Kotonoha and Ryuji were in the shopping district on a date. They were also going to do some shopping. Summer vacation was close and Kotonoha planned on getting a new bathing suit that would keep Ryuji's eyes on her and only her. Siera and Rina would no doubt be making the same move so this was more or less a preemptive strike from Kotonoha.

Of course, even a beautiful day like this would eventually be ruined when all of a sudden Ryuji's watch beeper, alerting him of the presence of an Imagin. No sooner as the alarm blared, a massive explosion erupted not too far from them. A car had just exploded without warning and was causing a panic as civilians began screaming in shock and confusion.

"Ryuji-kun…" began Kotonoha. Ryuji took hold of her hand and led her away from the chaos. His watch had pointed him to where the Imagin was.

The Imagin descended. It looked like a humanoid crow with black wings on its back and wearing a purple Karate gi with matching pants. It had sharp talons on its feet and hands and a wicked looking beak.

It let out a loud caw and spread out its wings, before shooting its feathers like arrows everywhere. Anything the arrows struck exploded. Stores were being destroyed and people were going to get hurt.

"Koto-chan, stay here," said Ryuji as he gently shoved Kotonoha into an alley that was far from the danger. "Let me handle this."

"Be careful," she uttered as she watched her beloved fiancé go to fight. She let out a dejected sigh. Just once she wanted to go out on a nice and quiet date with Ryuji without incident. Was that too much to ask? Still, she had to be satisfied with the Imagin's upcoming defeat at her Ryuji-kun's hands.

With his Dyno Belt fastened, Ryuji ran at the Imagin and swiped the Dyno Pass over the buckle. "Henshin!"

"**TYRANO FORM!**"

Ryuji continued his charge with the armor completely encasing him. When it was complete, he reached down to his belt and removed the DynoGasher bars from his belt before assembling them together in a vertical line. Once all four bars were connected into a staff, it extended to full length. The Rider gripped the long rod in his hand. He then drew back his hand before swinging him arm forward, throwing the rod like a javelin. It soared through the air straight towards the Raven Imagin.

"GRAWK!" the Imagin shrieked as the DynoGasher Rod pierced through its body. Ifrit skidded to a halt and stood before the Imagin as it spun around in pain and fury.

"How was that, bird brain?" jeered Ifrit.

The Imagin took hold of the rod that was sticking out of its chest before slowly and agonizingly sliding it out of the wound. It then dropped the weapon to the ground as sand spilled out from hole, which was slowly starting to heal and close up. "You're going to pay for that," said the Imagin.

"Try me," challenged Ifrit. The Imagin cawed out in anger and spread its wings before flying at Ifrit to stab him with its sharp beak. The Rider rolled out of the way and picked up his rod.

High in the air, the Raven Imagin laughed and started to shoot its feathers at Ifrit like crazy. Ifrit was able to dodge with his Tyrano Form's superior speed but at the rate the Imagin was going, the shopping district was going to be destroyed.

'_I need to end this quick_,' Ifrit thought to himself as he began to run and leading the Imagin along to attack him. This was a dangerous move but he had to get it away from where Kotonoha was.

He darted into the alley where he'd left Kotonoha as the Raven Imagin flew past, cackling like mad. Kotonoha looked at her fiancé in concern. Some of those feathers had left marks on his armor. "Ryuji-kun, are you okay?"

"Sure," he nodded. "But that thing is fast in the air." He growled, "Why can't I fly?"

Kotonoha looked at him with sympathy. All his forms shared one thing in common: the inability to fly. He would need the DynoLiner for this but it wasn't an option at the moment. "Ryuji-kun…"

Suddenly, as if reacting to his desire to fight, a portal formed above in the air and something bird-like flew out of it. It let out a loud reptilian shriek as it swooped in closer to reveal itself.

It was a robotic pterodactyl.

Both Kotonoha and Ifrit watched as the robotic flying dinosaur soared through the air. They came out of the alley to get a closer look at the machine. "Nani?" Ifrit wondered what it was supposed to be. It then lowered itself to rest at his feet.

"I think it wants you to ride it," said Kotonoha as she admired it.

"Oh, alright," said Ifrit as he stepped onto the robot's back, his feet on the back of the wings. Clamps snapped on and secured the Rider to it. "Huh?" Letting out another screech, the robotic flying dinosaur took to the skies as it carried its new passenger. "Wargh!" screamed out Ifrit.

The Raven Imagin, meanwhile, was in the air and shooting its feathers like arrows at everything around it. It cackled insanely at the destruction it was causing, "Yes! Burn! Burn under the hot summer sun!" It seemed to have forgotten about Ifrit. Well, it was going to be given a pretty hard reminder.

"Yamerro, teme!!!" Ifrit roared as he flew straight at the Imagin.

"Huh!?" the Raven Imagin gawked as the Rider came flying at him riding upon a flying glider. Ifrit flew past the Imagin and the wings of his glider slashed at it. "WAH!" the Imagin yelled out in pain.

"OK, I'm starting to get the hang of this," smirked Ifrit as he remained balanced upon his new vehicle. It wasn't like the Dyno-Breaker but it was no different from a skateboard or surfboard. Unfortunately, he hadn't ridden such things in his life. The robotic pterodactyl let out a shriek. "OK, let's see what else you can do!"

Hidden panels under the wings slid open and out came missiles which were fired. They homed in on the Imagin and exploded on impact. The explosion tossed the Imagin out of the air and sent it slamming into the wall.

The Imagin growled and fired its feathers at the Rider who managed to dodge using his glider. "Alright, I need to get in close!"

The glider seemed to understand and the clamps snapped open, releasing Ifrit. It then flew out from under the Rider before attaching to Ifrit's back and spreading out its wings. "Heh, cool!" Ifrit chuckled in appreciation.

He flew at the Imagin and threw a punch which rammed into its gut, knocking the wind out of it. He then grabbed it by the shoulder and slammed his knee into the flying Imagin's gut before he drew back his fist and threw it against its beak, bending it at an odd angle. The Imagin cried out in pain as Ifrit continued to pummel it without mercy.

Kicking off the Raven Imagin, Ifrit gripped his rod in one hand and the Dyno Pass in the other. "Say bye-bye, birdie," he said coldly as he waved the pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The white energy zigzagged from his belt and into his DynoGasher. He took careful aim and then threw it like a javelin. The sharp end of the DynoGasher Rod struck the Imagin directly in the chest and pierced right through before pinning it to the side of a building. It struggled to release itself but an energy net expanded and trapped it.

"HYAH!!!" Ifrit roared as he launched himself at the Imagin with both legs stretched out. He smashed his feet into the Imagin, executing a violent drop kick before kicking off and flipping through the air. The Imagin let out a shriek and exploded in a massive ball of flame. "Heh, yatta."

Kotonoha too was cheering for Ifrit. Of course, celebrations would have to wait. The sandy remains of the Imagin started to pile up and expand. Kotonoha watched in horrified fascination as the sand slowly took form before finally revealing itself for what it was.

Some Imagin, once destroyed, would reform into gigantic and monstrous berserkers and this one was no different. It had reformed into a large and monstrous truck with red eyes for windshields and a massive mouth with razor sharp teeth in the front bumper. It let out a roar and rolled down the street, crushing cars under its massive spike covered wheels.

"Damn it, what now?" Ifrit muttered as he landed on the ground once the Ptera-Glider released him. He was starting to get sick of these Imagin and Gigandeath. "Better call in reinforcements!"

At his call, the DynoLiner appeared from its portal and rushed at the Gigandeath. It was moving at ramming speed and the Mammoth crashed right into the Gigandeath. Both massive vehicles pushed at each other with all their might. The Mammoth trumpeted and released steam from its trunk as it began to exert itself. The Truck Gigandeath, however, proved stronger and rammed hard to force the DynoLiner onto its side.

Kotonoha gasped in shock and Ifrit looked surprised. He ordered, "Get up! Get up, DynoLiner!" In his anger Ifrit ran to intercept the Gigandeath, ignoring Kotonoha's shouts.

"How can I help?" Kotonoha questioned herself but felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw that it was Loki. "Loki?" In his hand was a long item wrapped in cloth which he quickly handed over to Kotonoha. "What's this?"

"Something new for Ryuji to use," he answered. "Now, go give it to him." Kotonoha nodded and then ran out of the alley to give the new weapon to Ryuji. Loki watched from his spot. "Those two are going to create a miracle."

Ifrit had just created a thick wall of ice to block the Gigandeath's in the middle of its rampage. However, the barrier was about to break as the Gigandeath continued to force its way through. "Kuso…" Ifrit struggled as he tried to reinforce his wall but the Gigandeath was determined to break through.

"Ryuji-kun!" Ifrit heard and he saw Kotonoha running towards him.

"Koto-chan, it's dangerous!" he shouted to her. "Get out of here!"

"Ryuji-kun! Here! Take it!" called Kotonoha as she tossed the item to Ifrit who caught it.

"What's this?" asked Ifrit as he stared at it. He quickly unwrapped the cloth from it. The covering dropped to the ground to reveal what it was hiding. It was an odd looking weapon with a basket hilt and a long black and yellow striped rod attached to it. At the base of the black and yellow rod was a rectangular chamber with a golden 'X' on it, the symbol of the DynoLiner.

"What is this thing?" asked Ifrit. He got the answer in his head.

'_The Liner Cross-Rod_,' answered Loki. '_Ant-san had it delivered to the house for you_.' Loki then began to give him instruction as the Gigandeath was starting to break through.

Kotonoha took cover as the Gigandeath broke through the wall, sending pieces of ice flying. Ifrit looked up to see the truck-like Gigandeath charging at him, its engine roaring like a primordial beast. He glanced at the Liner Cross-Rod in hand and then back up at the Gigandeath that looked ready to crush him. "One shot," muttered the Rider as he got out his Rider Pass. "Let's see what this thing can do!" He popped open the chamber and slid in his pass before closing it.

"**FULL POWER CHARGE!**" the Liner Cross-Rod announced.

With the Dyno Pass placed inside the chamber, the energy transferred from the belt into the Liner Cross-Rod. The 'X' and the rod glowed with golden energy as red lightning crackled around the rod itself.

"This is your stop! HYAH!" shouted Ifrit as he performed a horizontal swipe with his new weapon, sending out a horizontal bar of light that stopped the Gigandeath in its tracks. The bar of light acted like a crossing gate. The wheels of the Gigandeath spun around and around, kicking up dust, but even with its power, it could not break through.

"Tyrano! Tricera! ATTACK!" ordered Ifrit as he pointed the Liner Cross-Rod at the Gigandeath. Both dinosaur-like trains disconnected from the Mammoth and flew into the air. They burst forward towards the Gigandeath, linked up with the Tyrano in the lead. They roared past the Gigandeath, engulfed in flames before finally turning back around. They rammed into the Gigandeath from the side, causing it to fall over. Its wheels continued to spin widely but it could not get any traction to move. It was stuck!

"OK, Mammoth, let's finish it!" shouted Ifrit as his DynoLiner Mammoth got back onto its tracks and sped towards the Gigandeath. Ifrit leapt onto its trunk and then it tossed him forward. Ifrit roared, "TIME TO GO EXTINCT! DYNO EXPRESS CROSS SLASH!!!"

When he was in range, he performed a cross slash, slicing the Gigandeath into four pieces before the Mammoth rammed through it, destroying it in a tremendous explosion.

**KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!**

Ifrit landed upon the Mammoth with the Tyrano and Tricera racing alongside the steam engine. "You have gone extinct," the young Rider spoke.

Kotonoha watched in fascination and could barely contain her excitement any longer. She let out a loud cheer, "Yatta! Yatta, Ryuji-kun!" Hearing her cheers, Ifrit looked down to give her a salute.

* * *

It didn't take long for the monster attack and Kamen Rider Ifrit's appearance to end up on TV for the evening news. In Warren's apartment, Teresa, Alex, Vash and Tessa were watching TV when the news report broadcasted. Warren and Rachel were still busy grading papers.

"That's Uncle Ryuji!" Tessa said excitedly as she pointed to the screen.

"Woah," Vash whistled, impressed. "He's got some sweet new gear too."

The doorbell rang and Teresa said, "I'll get it." She removed little Tessa from her lap and went to the front door to see who it was. She looked through the peephole before opening the door, welcoming whoever it was that was outside to enter. "Come in."

* * *

In his study, Warren and Rachel were both just about finish grading their students' test papers when someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Warren called, as he marked another wrong answer.

"It's one of your students," said Teresa. "She says it's important."

Both Rachel and Warren wondered who Teresa meant and Rachel said, "Send her in."

The door opened and the student in question entered, surprising both teachers. They never expected Kat to drop by, not since the last time.

"Hey, what's up?" Kat greeted pleasantly

"Kat, what are you doing here?" asked Warren.

"I want to become stronger," was her simple reply as her expression turned serious.

* * *

**ZK Chromedragozoid**: Looks like Kat is looking for some extra training. Will Warren give in to her request or turn her away? Who knows? Kat with more power? That can be a little scary to think about, you know?

**Shadow Element 13**: Well, at least Neko's OK. Now we've got finals completed but it's time to party! Hm…Kat with more power, that's a scary thought.

* * *

And now, something extra: KOTONOHA DAYS (with Ryuji)

When Kotonoha came into her Ryuji's room to wake him up, she just couldn't suppress her giggle as he saw how he slept. He was hugging his pillow to his chest and the blanket had fallen to the floor, revealing him to be sleeping in a white t-shirt and plain blue boxers. She fished her cell phone out and took a quick snapshot of him. It was saved with the other pictures of him she'd taken without him noticing. Despite being a powerful martial artist, Ryuji often let his guard down around her. She just wasn't threatening enough to warrant such a precautionary defense.

Kotonoha absolutely loved having Ryuji so close. It was no secret that she wanted him to move into her room so that he would sleep in her bed with her every night. He would do that, though. No question. Sometimes he would sneak into her room and sleep in her bed with her just to have her close. She would wake up in the middle of the night to hear him purr before settling into his embrace. He was just so soft and cuddly when he slept, so different from the tough guy exterior he tried to present himself with.

Ryuji had barged into her life so unexpectedly. At the time she had held a torch for Makoto but that torch had long gone out. The new torch she had possessed a blue flame which was her Ryuji. He was her precious friend, devoted protector and faithful lover all in one package.

Ryuji was special to her. It wasn't because he was strong, or brave, or that he was a superhero, but because he'd opened his heart to her even when he tried not to. He had some trouble publicly expressing some positive emotions but he never did when around her. He told her himself that she was just so special to him.

Kneeling down at the foot of the bed, she continued to watch as he cuddled with the pillow. Kotonoha felt envious of the object. She wanted to be the one to cuddle with her Ryuji. He purred slightly and she giggled once more. He didn't snore, but instead purred. He would adamantly deny his purring habits but that just made teasing him even more fun. He was just so cute.

She reached over and strokes his hair. Despite being wild, messy and untamed, it was surprisingly soft. Sometimes she would brush it after he had his bath and braid it. One time she'd even given him pigtails and taken a picture of it out of good humor. He got a bit mad, but only for a second, before he too laughed at how ridiculous he looked. He did, however, make her promise to never show that picture to anyone. Kotonoha knew how important Ryuji's reputation was to him, though she couldn't understand why. He was barely approachable by others and those that did were only friends with her initially before reluctantly befriending him. Ryuji wasn't a bad guy. He was just a guy with a violent temper and if you pushed his buttons the wrong way he was bound to attack without warning. Some guys, like the KLLA, learnt that lesson the hard way.

The guest room he had taken as his own was spacious. Ryuji didn't bring much stuff with him when he moved in. He brought his computer, his wardrobe, and several essential items, but the place still had enough space. The space was important. He needed it to train. He could train outside in the yard but sometimes he just wanted to be indoors.

Ryuji trained for one reason and one reason alone: to protect this world. It still irked Kotonoha at how people would speak badly of him when he was the one protecting this entire world and its timeline from the Imagin's tampering. She just wanted to go up to them and tell them that the hero they worshipped and the boy they badmouthed were one and the same just to shut their ungrateful mouths but Ryuji was able to persuade her out of it. She understood why he had to keep his identity a secret. With his alter-ego's rising popularity, exposing him would cause a huge hindrance in his job, and not to mention the paparazzi would harass her family and her friends due to their connection with him. He was trying to protect them from such treatment and Kotonoha just fell more in love with him because of his noble and selfless actions.

Ryuji did get some form of reward for his actions. For each Imagin he killed, he received a sizable monetary reward which he would use for his expenses. Before when he ran along with the ChronoLiner Riders, the reward he got would go into paying for his rent, the school tuition, and other expenses like food, water and electricity. Now that he lived with her, he didn't need to worry of such things. However, now the reward money was being used to maintain his own time train, the DynoLiner.

Though oddly designed, the DynoLiner was a magnificent set of three trains, each modeled after prehistoric animals. One was the engine car, followed by the dining car, and finally a cabin car. Kotonoha and Ryuji would often spend time in one of the cabins, making love. It was so private for them and allowed them to fully express their love for each other.

And, speaking of the sex; it was absolutely mind blowing each time. Ryuji would just know how to touch, her, when, and how much. He knew all her sweet spots by heart and she knew his as well. Out of habit, he would bite down on a spot on her neck that would cause her to scream in pure pleasure. Even she hadn't known about it before he had bitten her the first time. It was absolutely bliss when she was with him. He was the perfect lover. Despite his cat-like tendencies, he never took her from behind. He liked to face her when they made love because then they could make out as they were wrapped up in the pleasure. He loved to kiss her because she tasted like strawberries.

The only reason he liked the taste of strawberries was because they reminded him of her. During their first kiss, he'd noticed that her lips tasted sweet like strawberries. That was only because she used strawberry lip gloss/balm. She loved the flavor and so did he…a lot.

Of course, Ryuji himself wasn't without his own insecurities. His own past was filled with pain. Due to reasons he couldn't completely explain, he had to be locked up. It pained her to just listen to him when he told her of how dangerous he used to be and how he deserved to be locked up. He called himself a monster.

Technically, he _was_ a monster. He was an Orphenoch and a special one since he was never really human to begin with. He was just the composition of someone else's negative emotions and given form. He was pure Yin, and nothing more. Kotonoha made sure to have him think differently of himself. He wasn't a monster to her as far as she was concerned. He wasn't. He was just…Ryuji.

Kotonoha recalled the day they first met and was glad to have met him. He became her friend and confidant and saved her from herself. He helped to repair her broken heart before unwittingly claiming it. He showed her unconditional kindness and love and asked for nothing in return. No matter what bad things people said about him he would just shrug them off, but no one was to say a bad word of his Kotonoha. He was that much protective of her, possessive and territorial.

Whenever she spoke with Makoto, she noticed how the temperature fell. That was a reflection of how Ryuji felt whenever he was angry or even jealous. He was fiercely territorial and also possessive. He claimed her as his already and no other man was allowed to have her. Being with him meant a lot of people were afraid to approach her too since it would mean incurring his wrath. Though she liked being protected, she didn't want Ryuji to drive people away from her. Thankfully, at present, he was becoming better at getting along with their classmates. He could be nice, but sometimes his temper would just cause a huge mess she would need to clean up.

Love just wasn't easy. It was a struggle. Now, it was war with the addition of Siera and Rina, two princesses from an alternate world inhabited by winged gods and horned demons. Kotonoha had fierce competition but was far in the lead. Still, she was still afraid that they would steal her Ryuji away but he assured her that there was nothing to fear since he had chosen her and only her. The ring she wore was proof of that. She would become his wife one day. That was the promise made the day he'd proposed to her.

It was exactly 9 months since they first met. She counted the days. Each day with him was special, precious and also unexpected. Something would always happen with him around. Though it diverged from her old and mundane normal life, she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Being with him was worth it.

She then decided to not wake him up after all. It was Saturday and neither of them were doing anything today anyway. So, she inconspicuously picked up the blanket and then slipped into bed with him. As soon as she did, he removed his grip on the pillow and immediately latched onto her, burying his face into her bosom. She just sighed as she continued to lay down in bed with him. Maybe a few minutes of extra sleep wouldn't be so bad. In fact it would make her day.

"I love you, Ryuji-kun," she whispered as she stroked his hair.

"Love you too," she heard him murmur as he purred in his sleep. She wondered what kind of pleasant dreams he was having. She secretly hoped she was in all of them.


	27. Lions and Kittens and Wolves, OH MY!

Kenzaki and Neko were enjoying a nice and private boat ride in the middle of a lake. Kenzaki was the one with the oars and had rowed them there for some peace and quiet. It was Neko's suggestion to have a date on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Neko was dressed in a lovely sundress that enhanced her beauty and made her look cute.

"Ne, Ken-kun?" asked Neko.

"Hai, Neko-chan?" replied Kenzaki. He only called her Neko-chan when they were sharing special romantic moments together.

"What do I mean to you?" she questioned.

"Um…what do you mean?" asked Kenzaki, confused by the question.

"You know…" said Neko sheepishly. "How much do I really mean to you?" She began playing with her braid as she looked down.

"You mean a lot to me Neko, more than anything else," Kenzaki answered honestly.

Neko smiled. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," nodded Kenzaki. "You're precious to me, Neko, and nothing can ever change that." Neko smirked and then grabbed the front of his shirt. In his surprise, he let go of the oars and was pulled on top of her. "Neko?"

"Kiss me, Ken-kun?" pleaded Neko as she moved Kenzaki's face closer to hers.

Kenzaki smiled at his beloved girlfriend. "No need to ask me twice." He then leaned down and kissed her deeply and it soon turned into a make out session. Neko moaned in pleasure as their lips connected and they held onto each other close. They were oblivious to everything but each other and didn't even notice the boat drifting ashore.

The boat ended up on dry land and Neko's eyes opened before snapping wide at the sight of the audience gathered around.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" shrieked Neko as she saw the other members of the GaroLiner crew looking down on them.

"What the hell…are you idiots…DOING HERE!?!?!?" roared Kenzaki as he sat up quickly, angered that his private moment with Neko was ruined.

"Watching you and Neko-chan make out," answered Buraki as he enjoyed the show.

**CRASH!!!**

"Itai…" groaned Buraki. Kenzaki had broken one of the oars over the Imoogi Imagin's head and the pervert crumpled onto the ground.

"Who's next?" growled Kenzaki as he grabbed the other oar as his Violet Fierce Ki flared out.

"RUN!" Raion yelled out as he and the others turned tail and made a mad dash away from Kenzaki.

"COME BACK HERE!" Kenzaki roared as he chased after them, swinging the oar around, and leaving Neko alone in the boat.

"Why can't we ever have any privacy?" Neko questioned. She saw Buraki getting up and she smashed her fist onto his head to knock him out again. Pouting, Neko sat in the boat alone with her arms crossed.

* * *

"**LIONS AND KITTENS AND WOLVES, OH MY!"**

* * *

Kat entered Warren's study as Rachel exited. She knew this was a private matter and she didn't have a reason to pry. Still, that didn't mean she trusted the girl who had an ambiguous alliance. Kat never said she was good or evil. She was just being herself and doing what she wanted for her own reasons.

"So, you want to become stronger?" asked Warren.

"Hey, are those the test papers we did for the finals? Can I see mine?" questioned Kat.

"No, and don't change the subject. You told me that you wanted to become strong. Why? And don't try to lie to me," said Warren.

Kat knew there was no way she could pull the wool over Warren's eyes. He may have technically been the same age as her, but he was definitely wiser than her and could spot a lie a mile away. It was best to be honest with her intentions in order to get what she wanted. "Look, ever since I came here I've been pretty much overshadowed, mostly by you and Kenny. You two are powerful and frankly it scares me. It scares me because I may not have the power if I end up fighting against big opponents like Benitora or Ryuga. And since you're the strongest of us, I want to know how to become that strong. I want to know the secret behind your powers."

Warren replied, "You're right, you don't have that kind of power. People like me, Ryuga and Benitora are at a completely different level from what you can reach. And there's no secret behind my power. I simply trained and trained and trained until I reached this level. I needed to change and adapt to every possible situation. But there is a way you can come CLOSE to Kenzaki's level. You may not be able to surpass him but that is because of his years of battle experience."

"Experience isn't everything. Even the most experienced warriors can be taken down by surprise by a stronger opponent with less experience," said Kat spitefully.

Warren agreed, "I know. That's why Kenzaki is pushing himself to his limits. He pushes himself because he has an unselfish NEED to be the strongest, so he can always protect those important to him."

"I have my reasons to become strong too," argued Kat.

"And what are they?"

Kat answered, "I want to be able to defeat my enemies, I want to be able to hold my head up high in pride when I destroy my opponents, and I…I want to…" She hesitated a little.

"You want to what?" pushed Warren.

She finally confessed her reasons, "I want the power…to protect my family. My precious Rose, Cathy and even Bobby. I want to have the power to protect them all on my own. I don't want to rely on anyone anymore."

Warren noted her sincerity but he had to make sure. He then asked her, "What about Kenzaki?"

"What about him?" Kat replied with her own question. What did Kenzaki have to do with this aside from being the person she wanted to surpass?

"If you were the only person who could help him, would you?" Warren inquired.

Kat scoffed while crossing her arms, turning her face away from Warren as she answered, "He can go and die for all I care, but if he were to die then Neko would be sad. If you're asking if I would help him for her sake, then yes, I would."

Warren shook his head. "No, not for her sake. I'm asking that if Neko wasn't part of the equation, would you still help him, or would you let him die?"

"Against a common foe, yes, I'd help him."

Warren continued his line of questioning, "And if it wasn't a common foe? If you just happened to witness the fight on accident, would you allow him to die?"

"No, I wouldn't let him die, because…" Kat became silent as she lowered her head. Could she say how she felt of Kenzaki**?**

"Because?" Warren pushed.

"I've grown used to having him around" answered Kat. Actually, the synchronization she performed with Neko was the cause for this. "Plus, I want to be the one to defeat him myself."

"Still stuck on that, huh?" Warren snickered.

"The guy freaking bit me!" shouted Kat.

"You did shoot him with an arrow," pointed out Warren in Kenzaki's defense.

"Yeah, I did, but still he BIT me!"

"You did deserve it."

"OK, let's say I did, but we're getting off topic. I want to become stronger and you're going to help me." Kat wasn't going to give up her quest for power.

"I never said I would help you," sighed Warren.

"Why won't you help me?" Kat's eyes narrowed as her red eyes gleamed in anger at being refused.

Warren told her, "I need a completely unselfish reason. I know you want to protect your family, but you said you want to do it alone. You'll always need someone to help you. Why do you think I'm still part of a team back on my world?"

"So, if I give you a completely, honest, and selfish answer, then you'll help me?" asked Kat.

"Yes, I will," answered Warren.

"Do I have to?" whined Kat.

"Well, if you don't want my help…"

"Fine, OK!" she surrendered. She wanted power and if it meant swallowing her pride then she would do it. "I want to be a better fighter to protect those precious to me! Not just my family! In this world, I've got friends (Nanami and Hikari) who I care about and who care about me. I also got family (Rose, Ryuji, Kotonoha, Cathy, Neko and Bobby) here who would do anything to help me. Frankly, the reason I want power is so that nobody has to suffer because I'm too weak to do anything at all! But most of all I want the power to make up for some of the horrible things I did in the past few years!"

"OK," nodded Warren.

"OK?"

"Are you willing to do anything to reach that level?"

"Anything at all."

"OK, guess we have to make a little trip to my world."

"For how long?"

* * *

The following day, which was Monday, Kenzaki was walking hand in hand with Neko to the gate. School was out for the day and the two were planning to have a nice and quiet time just going out on a short date. Once at the gate, they saw the same group of morons who called themselves the 'Cutey-Cutey Neko Soldiers' standing in their way. Kenzaki grumbled as Neko sighed. At first she never thought she'd be this popular, but it was really bugging Kenzaki. Didn't they get it after the last beating, or the ones before that? Apparently they didn't.

Kenzaki remembered the first time these people made their presence known. It all started before final exams.

* * *

_On their way to school, Kenzaki and Neko met up with Ryuji and Kotonoha who had Siera and Rina tagging along with them. When they arrived at the gate to see a group of male students, like about 30 of them, standing in their way, it looked to be their typical morning._

"_So," Ryuji said as he cracked his knuckles. "You numbskulls haven't learnt your lessons, huh?" He suspected that these guys were either from the KLLA, SSSS, the LLRB or all of three. It didn't matter to him anyway, though. Any idiot who came to challenge him deserved to get their asses kicked. Still, he was curious since he noted the absence of any armbands or buttons to identify their affiliations._

"_WE ARE NOT HERE FOR YOU, RYUJI HASUMA!" shouted the leader who was a glasses wearing guy who looked a bit too old to be in high school. He was screaming through a bullhorn. _

_Ryuji blinked in confusion. This was odd. "You're…not?"_

"_NO, FOR WE ARE NOT THE KLLA, SSSS or the LLRB!" he answered. "WE ARE…"_

_The entire group of males threw off their shirts causing Ryuji, Kotonoha, Siera, Kenzaki, Neko and Rina to stare._

"_What…" Neko began._

"…_the…" continued Ryuji._

"…_Hell?" finished Kenzaki._

_They were all now sporting white t-shirts that had large hearts in the centre and in the hearts was Neko's face. The group of (insane and idiotic males) then put on headbands with fake cat ears._

"_Oh, you have got to be kidding me," groaned Kenzaki._

_The groupies then spun around to show off what was on their backs. There were the letters CCNS and then they all shouted, "WE ARE THE CCNS, THE CUTIE-CUTIE NEKO-CHAN SOLDIERS!"_

_Kenzaki could only gawk as Ryuji patted him on the back. "Welcome to my world, buddy," said Ryuji sympathetically._

_From the rooftop, Kat watched with a large and feral grin through a pair of binoculars. "Men, so predictable and so easy to manipulate."_

"_Damn it…This is giving me a headache," groaned Kenzaki. "Let me guess, you guys won't leave me alone unless I beat you all senseless?"_

_The answer he got was for them to charge right at him, screaming, "FOR NEKO!!!"_

* * *

"What do you idiots want this time?" growled Kenzaki. "Look, I'm actually having a pretty good day, so I'll give you guys a warning. Leave now and I won't be forced to hurt you."

"KENZAKI TSUKUBA!" the leader holding the bullhorn shouted, "WE HAVE BEEN GOING EASY ON YOU BUT NO MORE!"

Kenzaki's left eyebrow twitched. He was the one going easy on them, not the other way around here. "Fine, you guys wanna be stupid and get hurt, I won't stop you." He cracked his knuckles.

"OH, DON'T BE FOOLISH! WE WILL NOT BE THE ONE TO FIGHT YOU! OUR MASCOT WILL BE THE ONE TO DO IT!"

"Mascot?" Kenzaki and Neko parroted. Kenzaki suddenly realized that something felt off about one of the members.

'_Imagin!_" he realized.

The CCNS parted and allowed a figure to walk forward. It was an Imagin resembling an anthropomorphic cat and was female judging by the developing curves. She had bright orange fur with dark orange stripes, a human looking face with short red hair and orange ears on top. Her whiskers and nose twitched a little as she sniffed around. Her eyes were large and green. She wasn't very big either and was about the size of a small child.

"Nyaa~" yawned the Kitten Imagin. "This is boring! You guys promised me catnip!" The Imagin then began to pout cutely. She then saw Neko and her face brightened. She then pounced past Kenzaki and glomped onto Neko. Neko blushed uncomfortably as the Kitten Imagin began rubbing her face against Neko's breasts. "Kyaaa! You must be the Nee-chan those boys were talking about!"

Kenzaki tensed up. He wasn't sure what this Imagin's intentions were, but he doubted they were good. The way she was hugging Neko like that bothered him. Maybe it would try to lower Neko's guard and…

"KAWAII!!!" Neko squealed as she hugged the Kitten Imagin close, rubbing her cheek against the little monster's. Kenzaki just gaped as he watched his girlfriend getting all cozy with the Imagin. The Kitten Imagin purred cutely as her tail wagged, enjoying the attention. "Ken-kun, can we keep this cute little kitten?"

"Yay! Onii-chan! Can you keep me?" asked the Kitten Imagin.

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?" sighed Kenzaki.

"MASCOT!" shouted the leader of the CCNS. "YOU AREN"T SUPPOSED TO LIKE THEM! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KILL KENZAKI TSUKU--" The leader was silenced when Kenzaki punched him in the gut.

"Shut up, your voice is bugging me," said Kenzaki.

Neko used her above than average strength to lift the little Kitten Imagin in her arms as the smallish figure wrapped her arms around the girl's neck. "Come on, little one. I'm gonna dress you up in cute little clothes. What's your name?"

"Koneko!" the Kitten Imagin answered with a meow.

"Aww…Kawaii…!" Neko squealed.

"That's it…" groaned Kenzaki. "My life has turned strange. Well…stranger." He looked over at Koneko to see her eyes were watering.

A second later the little Imagin burst into tears. "WAAAAHHH!!!! Onii-chan doesn't like me! WAAAAAHH!!!" Koneko cried uncontrollably.

Neko scolded, "Ken-kun, apologize to her now!"

"Why me?" Kenzaki groaned.

* * *

"Great, another brat," growled Okami. This caused Koneko to grasp onto Kenzaki and hide behind him. They were on the GaroLiner and introducing their newest addition.

"Don't scare her," warned Neko.

"Wow, she's really small," said Raion as he looked down on the tiny Imagine. She was only about half of the large Imagin's size.

Buraki looked at the little Imagin drooling. "Catgirl…"

Byakko then punched Buraki on the head. He knelt down to look Koneko in the eyes. "Don't worry, Koneko-san, I shall look after you."

Koneko smiled and looked up at the older feline Imagin. "Thank you!"

* * *

"She's supposed to be an Imagin?" asked Ryuji. He, Kotonoha, Neko, and Kenzaki were sitting in the Dining Car of the GaroLiner. Koneko was latched onto Kenzaki's back, and was dressed in a cute little sundress.

Kotonoha smiled at the little Imagin, "She looks…harmless."

"Get…off…of…me…" growled Kenzaki.

"Ah, but Onii-chan is so comfy! And his shiny skin is really cool!" said Koneko excitedly.

"Don't be mean, Ken-kun," scolded Neko. "She's just playing."

"Did Neko-nee make a wish for a little sister or something?" questioned Ryuji.

"It was those morons, the CCNS," answered Kenzaki. "They tried to create an Imagin to kill me. This was the end result."

"But she's so cute," cooed Kotonoha.

"Why do I get the feeling one of them has a catgirl and loli fetish?" asked Ryuji.

"I don't know why, but I have the feeling that Kat is behind this," said Kenzaki.

"You think Kat is the ringleader of the CCNS?" Ryuji question with an eyebrow raised.

"A group of fanboys dedicated to beating me and trying to break me and Neko up? Almost definitely," replied Kenzaki.

"You really believe that?" asked Kotonoha.

"Actually, it would make sense," said Ryuji. "Maybe this is her way of testing Kenzaki?"

"Maybe we should ask Koneko-chan?" suggested Neko. "Koneko-chan, who is your contractor?"

"Oh, she's a nice lady that looks like you, Onee-chan!" beamed Koneko.

"Let me guess, she had red eyes and laughed evilly every five minutes?" asked Kenzaki.

Koneko nodded, "And she has a cute bow in her hair!"

"I knew it…" growled Kenzaki. "It was that lunatic."

"Aw…" cooed Neko. "But Koneko-chan's cute."

"The nice lady said I was a gift!" beamed the tiny Imagin.

"She certainly is," said Ryuji, stifling a laugh.

"I'm actually kinda glad Kat formed the CCNS," admitted Kenzaki.

"Why?" questioned Kotonoha.

"The exercise, right?" said Ryuji.

"Nope, Kat and I had an agreement that if she pulled anything like this, I could beat her up! Now I finally have an excuse!" laughed Kenzaki.

"Don't do that, Ken-kun!" scolded Neko. "She gave us Koneko-chan as a present!"

Koneko hugged Kenzaki tighter, "I love you, Onii-chan and Onee-chan!"

"Aww…" cooed Neko.

"I wasn't talking about her. I was talking about the CCNS," Kenzaki cleared up.

"So, you're gonna beat those guys up whenever you see them?" asked Ryuji.

"Whenever they piss me off I will," nodded Kenzaki.

"But then you plan on challenging Kat-san to a fight too?" questioned Kotonoha.

"You bet I will! If she thinks she can create the CCNS and get away with it, she's got another thing coming!"

"Speaking of Kat," began Ryuji and he asked, "Have you guys seen her around by any chance? Coz I don't think I saw her at school." Kat wasn't able to hide her presence for so long.

"You're right," nodded Neko. "Usually I can sense her when she's around but it was like she wasn't there."

"Finally," spoke Kenzaki in a relieved tone, "Some long overdue peace and quiet."

"Well, even without her around, those CCNS idiots are gonna be a handful," Ryuji reminded.

"Ugh," Kenzaki frowned in disgust. "Don't remind me."

Koneko let out a yawn, causing Neko and Kotonoha to smile at the little Imagin.

"What's the matter?" asked Neko.

Koneko let out another yawn, "Sleepy…"

"Come on, you can sleep with me," smiled Neko as she lifted the Imagin girl up in her arms and carried her to her bedroom.

"You know, I don't say this much, but Neko-nee may make a good mother in the future," said Ryuji.

"Yeah, she really will," smiled Kenzaki.

* * *

A week passed at school without any word about or from Kat. Cathy, Rose and Bobby seemed to have an idea of where she was but were keeping a tight lip about it. However, Cathy did appear to be missing her adopted mama and wanted to see her badly again. Even Bobby was starting to wonder if Kat was going to come back.

Kenzaki himself was enjoying the peace and quiet following Kat's absence. However, the CCNS would still remind him of Kat since they were obviously affiliated with her. The theme just seemed to fit. Though, he was half expecting for catgirls instead of catboys.

Thus, Kenzaki would sometimes find himself getting attacked by the CCNS members who called Neko their idol and goddess. He found out after interrogating one of them that this all started with an e-mail that had a photo of Neko attached. Neko was dressed in her school uniform but sported cat ears and a tail, like a catgirl, and looked absolutely cute. That just got these guys, who had a catgirl fetish, riled up, and it didn't take long or much effort for Kat to unite them as a small army that was against Kenzaki being with Neko.

Kat didn't intend to break them up anymore, not since the last time which had hurt them both, but instead wanted to keep Kenzaki on his toes. The CCNS attacks could come out from nowhere so Kenzaki had to be prepared to keep Neko safe from harm and from them.

Like the KLLA, SSSS, and LLRB; the CCNS was one of the largest collection of groupies that were after one girl they deemed their idol. In Kenzaki and Ryuji's opinion they were just a bunch of otaku idiots who needed to get a life.

* * *

Both Ryuji and Kenzaki entered into the classroom. Their clothes were dirty and their knuckles were bloodied. Warren took one look at them and knew what happened. "Groupies again?"

"Yep," nodded Ryuji.

"They just can't take a hint," sighed Kenzaki.

"Well, go and take your seats. I was about to give back your exam papers," said Warren. Warren taught both World and Japanese History, so he had the exam papers stapled together. He called each of them out to take them back.

"Kenzaki Tsukuba," Warren called after handing Otome her exam papers.

"Huh, not bad," said Kenzaki. He got a 91 for World History and a 93 for Japanese History. "So, Warren, any idea what happened to the psycho?"

"If you mean Kat, then no," said Warren with the shake of his head.

"Oh, OK," Kenzaki said, shrugging. He trusted Warren. The Wraith had no reason to lie to him. "Well, thanks for the grades."

"You've earned them," said Warren as he watched Kenzaki go back to his seat. "Vash Miyata." He was just calling by the order in which he placed the papers together.

"How did you do, Ken-kun?" Neko asked once Kenzaki sat down.

"I aced them," he grinned and Neko applauded.

"Neko Hasuma," Warren called. Neko went to collect her papers as Warren continued calling on students' names.

* * *

The large beast hovered over a figure dressed in a tattered black cloak. The beast itself was a huge Cyclops with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and a horn atop its head. It was about 15 feet tall and wore nothing save for a loincloth and its body was pure muscle. It skin was red and its fingernails were long, sharp and dirty. The place itself was a desolate wasteland with dead trees and tumbleweeds rolling by without a care in the world. The sky was blood red with no clouds at all and a viciously hot sun shining down.

The Cyclops roared and made a move to strike down on the small figure. The figure didn't even move as the creature's hand came close to capturing them. The fingers encircled the figure but before they could close down on the individual the fingers themselves were snapped and bent at odd angles by an invisible force. The Cyclops roared and clutched his spare hand around the ruined one. Before it could grieve over his mutilated limb, the small figure leapt up and then drove a fist through the Cyclops' eye, blinding it. The creature roared in pain as it brought it hands up to cover its eyes. The figure showed no mercy and threw its feet into its face, breaking its teeth and sending it falling backwards with great force. Once the Cyclops was on its back, the figure stood on its stomach and walked along before arriving at its chest.

"Sayonara," the figure said in a female voice which sounded sinister. She aimed her gloved hands at the chest and energy crackled around her fingers. A ball of black and violet energy formed and grew right in front of her palms. She then fired, the recoil throwing her arms over her head as the ball connected with the Cyclops' chest. The explosion threw her backwards and her ruined cloak was vaporized along with the Cyclops which ceased to exist because of her power.

The figure landed, revealing a female human dressed entirely in black armor with red eyes. It stared around at all the dead monsters that lay sprawled all around her before giving a snort. "Heh, looks like I'm done here," she said with a grunt. A bright light glowed behind her and she flashed a feral grin, "And it looks like my ride's here." Without hesitating, she just dove towards the light without a second thought.

* * *

It was Sunday once more. Warren waited in front of the mystic door. It looked like a large set of double doors decorated by mystic runes. It radiated with an odd light. With him were his and Kat's family and they were waiting to welcome back someone who'd been gone for a long time. The door slowly creaked open as Tessa looked expectantly at it as did Cathy. Both wanted to see the person again. Instantly, the doors were suddenly thrown open, revealing a bright white light. A human silhouette walked towards them and the doors slammed shut behind them before they vanished into thin air. Cathy wore a wide smile as Rose covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes tearing up with joy.

"Hey, everyone," smiled Kat. Kat's body then radiated with a black and purple aura. "I'm back."

"Welcome back, Kat," said Warren as he handed Kat back her Henshin Belt and Byakko no Gai card. She took them back into her possession. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What else?" asked Kat rhetorically. "Can I use your phone? I gotta make a call."

* * *

At the time of Kat's return, Ryuji, Kotonoha, Rina, Siera, Makoto, Sekai, Benitora, Hikari, Setsuna, Vash, Taisuke, Kenzaki and Neko were at the indoor water park. Nanami had plans with her own boyfriend so she couldn't come and Otome was elsewhere with her girlfriends doing some shopping.

"Oh, the horror…" Ryuji groaned, mortified, as he saw Vash and Taisuke in matching red Speedos. "Someone please gouge my eyes out." It was scary how those two had become close friends. Maybe it was because they were perverts or something. Judging by the way they were ogling every female in a skimpy swimsuit he wasn't too far off.

"Come on, Ryuji-kun," said Kotonoha as she tugged Ryuji's arm. "Let's go for a swim. Just ignore them and have fun."

Ryuji eyed Kotonoha who was dressed in a bikini with a top that barely kept her ample breasts contained and smiled warmly. "OK."

Siera wore a pink and strapless one piece that hugged her body. Rina too was trying to draw some attention and wore a string bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination. She enjoyed how all the males drooled and stared at her but her eyes were on Ryuji who was presently being led away by Kotonoha.

"Let's go, Makoto," said Sekai as she dragged her boyfriend away.

"Want to try the water slide?" Hikari asked Benitora.

"Sure," the Arrancar nodded. The Gigai he was using hid his true nature.

"How do you like my suit, Ken-kun?" asked Neko flirtatiously. She wore a black tube bikini top and a pair of bottoms that looked like a REALLY tight pair of shorts. She had a heart in the centre of the top.

In a daze, Kenzaki questioned, "How in the world did I get a babe like you as my girlfriend again?"

Nekogiggled and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Ken-kun, let's go for a swim."

* * *

Koneko was in the GaroLiner's dining car, passing the time by coloring in a coloring book, humming a tune Neko had taught her days ago. Okami was taking a nap, Raion was listening to a tune on his iPod, Byakko was reading a book on martial arts techniques and Buraki, well…he wasn't in the dining car and none of them wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. He was probably off doing something perverted. Shiori just minded her station as Kumiko sat across from Koneko and watched her color.

The small Kitten Imagin absolutely loved living here. She got to spend time with her Onee-chan and Onii-chan. Still, she did miss them when they were away like this while leaving her alone with the Imagin and Shiori to take care of her.

Koneko wanted to go out and play but the only place she could do that was at the King's Terminal. There was no way to hide what she was if she ever went outside into the real world. She was an Imagin just like Okami and the rest, even if she was a small child. People may panic at the sight of her or try to attack her.

But, even if the GaroLiner could get lonely sometimes, she endured it. Sooner or later, her Onee-chan and Onii-chan would walk through that door and then she would hug them.

Koneko loved her Neko-oneechan the most and always slept with her in bed and took baths with her, and played with her. It was so much fun. She just wished there was a way she could go to the water park and have fun with them there.

Koneko then turned her attention back to her coloring book and did some more coloring. The book was filled with colorless pictures of the Kamen Riders and she enjoyed coloring in it. It was so much fun. When she was done, she would show it to her Onee-chan and Onii-chan.

Shiori was watching Koneko coloring with a smile when the phone rang. She picked it up and asked, "Moshi-moshi? This is the GaroLiner. Who do you wish to talk to?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Reaper Imagin had shown up at the water park. He remained in the shadows and with the Reaper Imagin was another crab-like Imagin colored green.

"So, Master Nanimo wants me to stir up some trouble?" the Crab Imagin asked.

"That's right," nodded the Reaper Imagin. He was known simply as Ripper by Nanimo while his partner, the Demon Imagin, was known as Debiru. Their late comrade, the Nightmare Imagin, had been destroyed. He had been known as Scarem.

"Oh," the Crab Imagin snickered. "This is gonna be fun." The Crab Imagin strode forward but should have been paying attention when the Reaper Imagin, Ripper, raised up his scythe.

* * *

The gang of teenagers pretty much had fun just playing around and relaxing at the water park. Rina was gaining some admirers as she relaxed in a deck chair, drinking a tropical fruit punch. Siera herself was playing in the water. She did feel a little envious as she watched Ryuji teaching Kotonoha how to swim. Sekai was at the high board and diving into the water like an Olympic diver, impressing Makoto who didn't have the nerve to do it. Benitora decided to try it out though and splashed everyone, even those outside the pool, when he performed a cannonball. Vash and Taisuke were just 'hunting' and looking for hot girls to flirt with. For all their efforts, they got slapped in the face and kicked in the groin, and nearly got beaten up by those girls' boyfriends. Setsuna herself was playing on the waterslide. Hikari tried it too.

It wasn't long until the couples were relaxing in a Jacuzzi together.

"Ryuji-kun," sighed Kotonoha as she laid her head against his chest. He had an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Sekai narrowed her eyes and grabbed Makoto's arm to wrap around her waist and pull her close as well. Up until now, Kotonoha and Ryuji were winning the award for being the most lovey-dovey couple. As for Hikari and Benitora, they were a little shy to show such affection in public but still sat close to one another. As for Neko and Kenzaki, she was rubbing her hand up and down his well muscled chest, causing him to tremble a little from the sensation.

"This is the life," said Ryuji with a grin.

"You said it," agreed Kenzaki. Being here with Neko, just relaxing, felt great. It wasn't summer break yet but it felt like it right here.

"So, I saw that lane pool," gestured Ryuji. "Wanna try and race me?" Ryuji challenged.

"Heh, you're on," accepted Kenzaki.

"Hey, can I play too?" asked Benitora.

"Sure," smirked Ryuji boastfully. "It'll make it all the more sweeter when you're both eating my splashes."

"Oh, now it's so on," retorted Kenzaki as he cracked his knuckles. "You're gonna lose big time."

Neko let out a sigh, "As much as I enjoy this show of testosterone and machoness, can you three just get on with it?"

"I shall referee," volunteered Setsuna.

The three super powered boys exchanged confident smiles before climbing out of the Jacuzzi and heading to the lane pool where they would have their race. Their girlfriends also followed to cheer them on. Once there, the three boys stood on platforms at their lanes and performed stretches.

Hikari cheered, "Go get them, Benitora-kun!"

"Gambatte, Ryuji-kun!" cheered Kotonoha.

"Don't lose, okay, darling?" Rina cheered.

"You can win this!" Siera cheered.

"Good luck!" Neko encouraged. The three boys stood straight and got ready.

"On your mark, get set…" began Setsuna.

However, before Setsuna could say 'go', screams erupted from the direction of the wave pool which was near the artificial beach. People ran out of the water as a large serpentine shape burst from the surface, roaring out loud.

It was green, covered in scales, with a sharp beaklike mouth that had rows and rows of razor sharp teeth within it. This was none other than a Gigandeath Hades.

"Crap," cursed Ryuji as he jumped off his platform and ran to Kotonoha. "Koto-chan, you and the other girls get out of here. Find some cover."

"Hai!" nodded Kotonoha. She and the girls ran for their lives. Well, Neko remained there for a second.

"Be careful, OK?" said Neko before giving him a soft kiss and then running off with the girls.

"Benitora, you take care of them," Ryuji ordered the Arrancar. Benitora nodded and ran with the girls to make sure they got to safety.

As the civilians evacuated, Ryuji and Kenzaki looked upon the Gigandeath Hades which was pretty much tearing up the place. Ryuji's wristwatch was beeping like crazy. Both Riders brought up their belts and swung them around their waists, fastening them on with a click as they each pushed a button.

"Henshin!" they both called as they swiped their passes over the buckles.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

"**HUNTER FORM!**"

As their armors formed, both Riders ran straight towards where the Gigandeath Hades was. It fired energy blast everywhere, causing rubble to rain down all around the two Riders.

"Kuso, if this goes on any longer, this place is gonna be a nothing but a huge mess!" cursed Ifrit.

"**And using the Liners in here is out of the question**," added Garoh. As much as he wanted to kill this thing, his weapons in this form were severely lacking. Plus, using the time trains indoors wasn't a good idea. They may end up destroying the water park with their combined fire power.

"Well, let's see it handle THIS!" roared Ifrit as he brought up his hands and fired a beam of frost energy at the Gigandeath, covering it up in a layer of ice which started from its head and spread all over its long serpentine body and eventually spreading out to freeze the water it was in. "Heh, too-" Ifrit began to boast right before the ice exploded, thus freeing the trapped Gigandeath. "NANI!?"

"**Any other ideas?**" asked Garoh. Ifrit remained silent. "**Ifrit?**"

Ifrit stared at the Gigandeath and then looked towards Garoh. After summoning his Liner Cross-Rod, he quickly converted it from its default mode to its Gun Mode. He pushed the chamber up along the rod until it touched the tip before pushing down the rod 90 degrees. "Garoh, here," said Ifrit as he handed the Cross-Rod to Garoh.

"**What am I supposed to do with this?**" questioned Garoh as he took hold of the strange weapon.

"Just pop open the chamber and put in your pass," instructed Ifrit as the Ptera-Glider appeared and attached itself to his back. "I'll distract it while you charge up your attack." With those final words, Ifrit launched himself into the air to engage the Gigandeath. "Hey, snakey, EAT THIS!"

As Garoh examined the weapon, he found the switch that allowed him to pop open the chamber. Taking out his pass, he gave a smile, realizing how this thing was supposed to work. "**Now this I can work with!**" said Garoh as he slid his Pass in the Cross-Rod and closed the chamber. The energy of his Liner transferred into the weapon via the pass, causing the 'X' and the rod to glow brightly.

"**FULL POWER CHARGE!**" the Cross-Rod announced.

Grabbing hold of the grip tightly in both hands, Garoh aimed the Liner Cross-Rod at the Gigandeath as the energy gathered in the barrel of the weapon. He waited for the right moment since Ifrit was still flying around its head, distracting it as Garoh got ready to take a shot. He then shouted out, "**IFRIT, MOVE!**"

Hearing the signal, Ifrit flew out of the way just as Garoh was pulling the trigger.

"**GAROLINER EXPRESS SHOT!!!**" A blast of energy shot out from the gun, throwing Garoh backwards as his arms snapped up. The blast of energy soon took on the shape of his time train, the GaroLiner. The aura train, covered in black flames, sped through the air before smashing straight into the Gigandeath. The resulting explosion rocked the entire building as the Gigandeath Hades ceased to exist.

Ifrit landed next to Garoh who was admiring the Liner Cross-Rod with some sense of awe and satisfaction. "How does it feel to have the power of your train right at the palm of your hand?" asked Ifrit. He already knew the answer after having used it once before.

"**It's intense**," said Garoh, "**I like it**."

"Come on," invited Ifrit. "Let's go find the others and get out of here. I've had enough wet fun to last a lifetime."

"**Yeah**," agreed Garoh.

* * *

Kat was waiting in the training room of the GaroLiner, bored out of her mind. She had been waiting for Kenzaki to come for a good half hour now and was slowly losing her patience. She tapped her foot on the floor in annoyance. She had challenged him, the least he could do was to come on time. Was what too much to ask? A little common courtesy?

She had spent an entire week training for this day. Actually, that was an understatement. With each day that went by, she actually spent an entire month in a hell dimension in the name of training. Therefore, while she had been missing for a week, she had actually been training for 7 whole months in different hell dimensions, each one worse than the last.

* * *

_The first time she returned from her hellish training, she was covered in green gunk with her bow missing, her clothes torn, and a look of murderous fury in her crimson eyes. She stormed up to Warren and started yelling at him the moment she got into hearing range. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU BASTARD!? I ALMOST GOT EATEN!!!"_

_Warren listened to her rant understandingly, occasionally nodding, as if in agreement. Eventually, after cursing Warren's family to the seventh generation, cursing Warren himself, and threatening her teacher with the most creatively painful methods of death-by-torture she'd managed to invent during her month in hell, she finally calmed down enough to flop down on a nearby couch with an audible groan of weariness._

"_Here," Warren said, gently helping her up from the couch. "You probably need a good hot bath right now…Just come this way…"_

_Mind numb with exhaustion and her fury burned out, Kat staggered after Warren to the door, too tired to even think of protesting though she would actually have preferred to just stay and sleep. On the other hand, a bath full of hot water was looking pretty good too…_

_Warren opened the door and stepped aside to let Kat pass. She blinked as images slowly processed themselves through her brain. "Hang on…this isn't the bathroom…"_

_A gentle push…_

"_YOU DID ASK FOR THIS!" Warren yelled as Kat screamed bloody murder while falling into another dimensional portal._

_Moments later, Warren was alone in his house once more. He looked at the slime-covered couch and sighed. That was going to be hell to clean up…_

_The second time Kat came back, she simply charged in blind in berserk fury at Warren who was sitting so comfortably on his new couch. Her face was contorted into a mask of wrath and rage with a silent snarl twisting her lips. So focused was she on her object of vengeance that when Alex popped up in her path, she was taken utterly by surprise with an almost comical look of shock replacing the one of anger on her face as she skidded to a halt so as to avoid running over the child. While she was still reeling and off-balance, 'Alex' calmly walked up to her, reached up, and shoved her in the stomach. The last thing she saw as she fell into yet another world was 'Alex' shimmering into Warren's form and the Warren on the couch revealed to be a dummy._

_The third time she came back, she approached the whole affair a good deal more cautiously. First, she scouted out her enemy's lair to be certain Warren was indeed alone at home. She watched him for a time to be certain that he was indeed the real Warren. Finally, she broke into the house, moving as stealthily as a shadow as she crept up behind the figure on the couch with one claw upraised…There was a blinding flash of light as she stepped on the mystic symbol Warren had hidden under the carpet. When the spots from her eyes cleared, she found herself in what looked like a tropical jungle with a large creature, jaws filled to the brim with teeth, already bearing down on her._

_Kat threw her head back and screamed with utmost rage, "I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS WARREN!!!"_

* * *

When the door opened, she saw Kenzaki enter. "Took you long enough," sneered Kat. "I thought you ran away or something."

Kenzaki ignored the crack. "So, you actually came to challenge me to a fight. You know you're not at my level," said Kenzaki, a hint of smugness in his voice. "You're way out of your league."

"Things change, Kenny," smiled Kat. "Rinkaiho (Confrontation Release)!" Kat then revealed her Dorinki in its entirety. It flared out around her like a black flame tipped in purple, its intensity no doubt revealing her new power level.

"So, you've achieved Dorinki?" questioned Kenzaki, surprised a little by this development.

The Dorinki (Fury Confrontation Ki) receded into her body. "And it was absolute HELL to get, but still totally worth it! And, I've learnt a few new tricks while I was gone. Wanna see?"

"Sure, let's see what you can do, you lunatic." Kenzaki was interested to see what Kat had gained in her absence.

Kat glared at Kenzaki for the crack. "RinJyu Lioness-Ken! Ringi! Rinki Gaiso!" Her aura flared out and assumed the form of a black lioness that broke apart and then formed her black armor. The head formed the chestplate**;** the front paws formed her shoulder pads, the lower paws hanging from her belt, and the rest of it forming gauntlets and boots that were colored black and gold. The rest of the armor resembled a skintight bodysuit and finally a helmet formed over her head. It looked like the head of a lioness complete with the ears. Her face was between the jaws and finally a black visor slid over her face to hide it. She let out a growl as she rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers. She then spoke, "Fighting for my pride and my personal gain. The dark Queen of Beasts. RinJyu Lioness-Ken! Black Lioness Kat!"

"So, that's how you want to do this, huh?" sighed Kenzaki. The armor was a big surprise. It did radiate with Rinki and was possibly a reflection of her own power.

"That's right, Kenny. Now, come on. Armor up and let's do this," said Kat with a smirk that was hidden by her pitch black visor.

He flipped open the top of the Morpher, giving it a gong-like appearance. "Hibike! Beast Howl! _**Beast On!**_" He pushed a button on his Morpher, causing the gong to sound. The gong released a wave of energy.

A purple and black bodysuit with white trimmings and silver arm and legs bands appeared on his body. There was the sound of a wolf howling and a full moon shone behind Kenzaki. Instantly, a purple helmet based on a wolf formed over his head and the visor slid over his eyes.

"Excitement! My style, to the limit of my will! Iron Will! GekiViolet!" Kenzaki posed, now transformed.

"Let's do this," said Kat. The two JyuKen artists charged at each other and then launched themselves into the air and drew back their fists before throwing them at each other. Their fists collided with thunderous force, rocking the training room itself with an impressive explosion of Rinki and Geki.

This would be one battle for the history books. It was a showdown between RinJyuKen and GekiJyuKen.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Wow, the GaroLiner Express Shot was amazing, wasn't it? Wonder how hellish Kat's training really was? Hm…guess we'll find out soon enough.

Shadow Element 13: Kat vs. Kenzaki, now that's going to be a good fight. Wonder if Kat's training put her up to Kenzaki's level?

"**ANT'S CORNER**"

Ant bowed politely to the readers before a large screen behind him showed Ifrit using the Ptera-Glider and then the Liner Cross-Rod being used by both Ifrit and Garoh.

"Now, the Ptera-Glider is part of Ifrit's arsenal. It can be utilized in two ways. The first is to ride it like this surfboard," he pointed to a surfboard, "or like this skateboard," he finished while lifting up a skateboard for everyone to see. "The second way is to have it attach onto the user's back like a jetpack." He showed the clip of when Ifrit used the Ptera-Glider in both ways. "The Ptera-Glider has missiles hidden in the wings and the wings themselves are sharp and can cut deeply into an Imagin's hide."

And continued, "Then, we have the Liner Cross-Rod, which I developed and gave to Ifrit. The Liner Cross-Rod is a powerful weapon that allows the user to literally hold the power of their Liners within their hands. There are two modes. The first is a Sword Mode. The interesting thing about Sword Mode is that it's not the rod itself that causes the damage, but the energy discharged when it connects with the target. The second mode, Gun Mode, also possesses the same kind of power as Sword Mode. In Gun Mode, a blast of energy is shot out that resembles the shape of a time train."

Ant gave a bow. "That's all the time we have here. Next, we have 'Loki's Liner Lessons'."

"**LOKI'S LINER LESSONS**"

Kokoro beamed brightly as she sat in a classroom with only her filling up one of the seats, leaving the rest empty. The walls were decorated with posters of the Kamen Riders. In front of her was Loki, with glasses over his eyes, and wearing a cap and gown like the ones they wear for graduation ceremonies.

"Now, class," said Loki, trying to sound intelligent, "Today we will learn about the most powerful weapons a Time Kamen Rider has in their arsenal." Behind him was a screen and with a press of a button a projector cast an image onto the white screen. "Their trains." On the screen was a picture of the DynoLiner, ChronoLiner and GaroLiner.

"Sugoi," beamed Kokoro.

"Time trains are used for two things. The first is to travel through time or other timelines, and the second is to battle against gigantic Gigandeath who possess great power and must be taken down quick. Each train possesses its own set of weaponry."

Loki pressed another button so that the picture of the DynoLiner's three cars would show on screen.

"Now, we shall examine the **DynoLiner**. It has three cars. The first car is the **DynoLiner Mammoth**." Loki pointed at said steam engine. The screen then showed the train in action. "The Mammoth is a steam engine modeled after a wooly mammoth. It uses its brute strength to ram into its enemies. In addition, it tusks can shoot powerful energy bolts to zap at them and finally its most powerful weapon is the Trunk Cannon, which can shoot powerful blast of frost energy." The Mammoth on screen crashed through a huge Gigandeath and fired energy bolts at it. Finally, it tossed the monster into the air using its tusks before firing an incredible blast of ice.

He pressed another button to display both the **DynoLiner Tyrano** and **DynoLiner Tricera**. "Unlike the Mammoth, the Tyrano and Tricera are both bullet trains and not steam engine cars. They are pulled along by the Mammoth but can also separate to attack independently. Now, let us focus on the Tyrano." He pressed a button to show the Tyrano in action. It raced along the tracks, snapping its jaws. "Primarily, the Tyrano uses its sharp teeth as a weapon to chomp down on enemy Gigandeath. In addition, it can breathe fire as well." The screen shows the Tyrano firing a jet of flames from its mouth. He pressed the button once more to show the Tricera bellowing as it fired lasers from its horns. Loki finished, "And, finally, the DynoLiner Tricera which possesses three horns that fire lasers. Together, these trains are a powerful combination that is very tough to defeat."

"Sugoi!" applauded Kokoro. "Loki-sensei, the DynoLiner is so cool!" Loki rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

"Oh, arigatou, Kokoro-chan!"

"Hold it right there!" shouted a gruff voice as the door swung open to reveal Okami, Raion, Buraki and Byakko.

"Class is in session!" snapped Loki angrily. "You can't be here!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," grunted Okami as he led his comrades to the front of the class. "We're here to give the little girl a lesson on our own train."

"Yes, as the Imagin housed in the GaroLiner, we should be the ones to teach her about it," said Byakko as he moved forward.

"Pay attention, cutie," grinned Buraki at Kokoro.

"Yeah, and keep your eyes and ears opened. This is gonna rock!" Raion smiled.

Loki was pushed aside by Okami who took the remote and pressed a button to display the GaroLiner. "The GaroLiner is currently owned by Shonen-kun," said Okami, using his nickname for Kenzaki. "But before him, it was owned by Gou Tsukuba, the first Garoh. Back then, it only had one car that functioned as a weapon. The first car and my car, the **GaroLiner Tsume**." Okami clicked the button to show Tsume in action. "Tsume is normally based on close range offense attacks, tearing at the opponent with its teeth and claws." The screen showed Tsume doing just that, slashing and biting at a Gigandeath. However, then it began firing lasers and missiles. "It also has long range firepower. It finishes the fight like this." The screen showed Tsume slicing the Gigandeath in half. He passed the remote to Byakko.

"Next is my car, the great **GaroLiner Kulon**!" called Byakko proudly as he pushed the button, showing the GaroLiner Kulon in its Warrior-Mode, striking a martial arts pose. "Whereas most cars are piloted by using the Rider's bike, my car is based on the Rider's movements. Any move Kenzaki-sama makes my car will copy it perfectly. This makes my car deadly in close quarters." The screen showed the GaroLiner Kulon attacking an opponent ferociously, destroying it. Byakko then gave Kokoro a V for victory sign. "Just remember the basics and you will always be victorious!"

"It's time to rock little lady cause I'm up next!" sung Raion as he took the remote and clicked a button to show off his own train car. "My car is the always rockin' **GaroLiner Kin**! My car can't be destroyed by any attack. It can take any hit and never gets hurt!" The screen showed GaroLiner Kin taking a barrage of hits without looking at all damaged. It then opened its mouth to reveal a speaker, sending out a sonic blast. "I told you my car rocks! It lets me send a sonic blast at my opponent." Additional speakers opened up on the sides to attack with sonic blasts like the mouth. Raion smiled at Kokoro. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"And as always we save the best for last," said Buraki as he stepped forward, taking control and pushing the button. The screen showed the serpentine **GaroLiner Hageshi** slithering toward its target. "My Hageshi is the strongest car, and makes up the remainder of the GaroLiner." The screen showed Hageshi wrapping itself around a Gigandeath before it began to constrict. "My Hageshi isn't afraid to fight dirty. It wraps up the opponent before doing one of two things." The screen showed the GaroLiner Hageshi breathing fire and roasting the Gigandeath. "It'll breathe fire, or…" It then showed two fangs protruding from the car's mouth, which it used to rip open the Gigandeath. "It'll rip out the throat, going for the instant kill."

Kokoro clapped in amazement. "The GaroLiner is so cool!"

"The coolest yet!" Raion agreed.

"Oh, and FYI, Kenzaki gave this train to Neko for her own use," added Buraki with a wink.

"Chotto matte!" shouted Athena as she pushed the door open.

"What now?" groaned Loki. His lesson was ruined anyway.

"We're here to talk about another train," added Eros who'd entered with Athena.

"Athena-neechan, Eros-niichan!" Kokoro exclaimed happily to see the two Imagin who lived in her house.

Athena pushed all the males aside and took control of the class.

"Alright, now it's my turn, little one!" winked Athena

"Sugoi, Athena-neechan!" Kokoro applauded.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" yelled Okami.

"SILENCE!" Athena snapped before clearing her throat. The male Imagin, except for Eros, cowered, and took seats facing Athena. She pressed a button to display the ChronoLiner. "This train, the **ChronoLiner**, resembles a normal looking bullet train, but far from it. It is actually a time traveling train armed to the teeth with weapons to deal with bothersome Gigandeath. Though most of the cars are passenger cars, the first four train cars are the ones armed with weapons." She pressed a button to show off the ChronoLiner in action. "The first car is named **Cannon-1 **and is aptly named due to the laser turrets it carries within. Then, we have the **Missile-2**, which contains a powerful missile launcher to fire missiles in rapid succession. Following that we have the **Bomber-3**, which is a bomb slinger. And, finally, we have the **Jet-4**, which is a jet platform to launch a robotic jet. The jet itself is controlled by an AI and programmed to attack Gigandeath with its sharp wings, lasers and missiles." Athena then gestured for Eros who decided to add in a few word of his own.

Eros explained, "Ant has also recently commissioned the construction of four more auxiliary train cars known as the '**Rescue Cars**', simple because they function as rescue vehicles." With a push of the button, the **Fire-5**, **Gyro-6**, **Digger-7** and **Submarine-8** were shown in action, rescuing civilians in their own ways. "The Rescue Cars have 2 modes. The first is Liner Mode in which they look like normal train cars. However, once they enter Rescue Mode, they each transform into a specific rescue vehicle."

Eros pressed a button to reveal the Rescue Modes and continued his lecture with the Fire-5. "The Fire-5 is a futuristic fire truck and equipped with extendable and a fire-extinguishing cannon that can shoot blasts of water strong enough to send a Gigandeath reeling. The cannon can also shoot ice beams as well as foam to extinguish flames if water isn't enough." He continued, "Next, the Gyro-6 is a helicopter equipped with armor-piercing lasers and powerful missiles. The rotor blades themselves are sharp enough to slice up the toughest enemies." He added, "Then we have the Digger-7 which is equipped with a powerful drill that allows it to dig deep into and through the ground. This drill is also its primary weapon and combined with its digging ability, it can launch surprise attacks from the ground. He finished, "And, finally, we have the Submarine-8, which can be used for both underwater and air combat. It's armed with a variety of torpedoes ranging from homing torpedoes and heat-seekers." He gave a bow as Kokoro watched the Rescue Cars in action.

"Anymore questions?" asked Eros.

"Sugoi, the Kamen Riders' trains are amazing," said Kokoro as she applauded their presentation.

Everyone then looked towards the viewers before asking, "So, which is your favorite time train? Please, tell us why as well in your review!"

"Bye, bye!"

"Ja ne!"

"Sayonara!"


	28. Magical Heart OVA With a Twist!

"Here you go!" said Andie cheerfully as she put down the drinks to the two passengers. Well, one of them was the passenger. The other was the owner of the ChronoLiner. "Please, enjoy!" she beckoned them before returning to the station.

The owner of the ChronoLiner was Antonitis Fenton McCrown, Ant for short. He had long and braided brown hair with a pair of bangs sticking out which framed his face. He wore a conductor's cap and but wore a red shirt and black tie with blue jeans. Across from him sat someone dressed like the Mad Hatter with heterochromatic eyes and a pointed nose. He picked up the cup and took a whiff before smiling and putting the cup of coffee back down. "Not as good as Miriam's blend, but has a nice aroma still."

Ant, on the other hand, was having a root beer float and sipping it through his straw. He then looked across from him at his guest, the Infernal Merchant, Topper. "You're lucky that Ryuji and Warren aren't here. They would kick your butt if they saw you here," warned Ant.

"Let them try," said Topper calmly. "They can't beat me. After all I am a…you know what."

"Yes," Ant grimaced. Topper was a mysterious supernatural being. His original title had been lost after so many Eons but Ant knew it. However, Topper's true name was forbidden and could not be uttered, lest you wished to suffer a slow and painful death accompanied by madness. Ant knew this the first time he met Topper and Topper never tried to hide it. It was best to never hear or speak his true name. It was a curse that could easily kill you. "But still, you have been causing trouble in that timeline while you assist the heroes of other timelines…"

"For the right price," interrupted Topper. "Master Jason and Master Devlin are both interesting. Both have great potential in becoming the Demon Emperors of their respective worlds. I just try to help them along."

"You betrayed your old 'master'," reminded Ant, referring to his past.

"And paid for it I did," Topper said with a frown and a sigh. "But, you do know how I work."

"Desperation draws you towards your customers, I know," quoted Ant. Topper was drawn to desperation and those possessing it would definitely want something no matter how high the price. Topper held all those contracts in his hat, binding and eternal. Once the time came, he would collect on the payment and it wasn't always money.

"And the payment must also fit the wish too," added Topper.

"That was the reason you were kicked off the Dragon Council too," said Ant. "You aided the Dark Dragon."

"What can I say? I couldn't resist his offer," said Topper as he sipped his coffee once more.

"Still, your allegiance was never truly to good or evil," said Ant. "You insist on being a neutral party. You're one of those who try to help maintain the Balance."

"That's right," said Topper, snapping his fingers to indicate that Ant was correct. "Evil cannot be stronger than good, and vice versa. Also a world isn't perfect without Yin and Yang. Good and Evil are eternal, but for a perfect world both forces must be balanced."

"Which was why you helped create the Slayer System," said Topper. "It was just in case…"

"Just in case the Demon Emperor threatened to destroy the world again," finished Topper. He smiled widely, "And, if that happened, then it wouldn't be any fun. I don't want to destroy worlds. Even if I can just move to another one then what's the point?"

"Still, you have been causing trouble for Ryuji and Kenzaki." Ant frowned. "You've been giving them a lot of grief."

"Desperation is my lure, and humans will always want something, no matter how steep the price is," reasoned Topper. "That is the truth of humanity. Desperation simply triggers them into acting out and committing heinous acts. They are either desperate for power, attention, equality, or mainly desperate to preserve their way of life. No matter how sweet and tranquil humanity is in the surface, there lies the seed of desperation and all it need is something to triggers its growth." Topper was an expert of human desperation, having granted wishes since his incarnation many millennia ago.

"Yes, but not all humans succumb to it," said Ant. "And, speaking of Slayer, you kept all the versions of it on you, including the prototype."

"Yes," confessed Topper as he removed a Slayer Knuckle from his pocket. "Versions I to X are all in my possession, while Version XI is in the hands of a new wielder."

"What will you do with them?" questioned Ant cautiously.

"Oh, who knows? Sell them maybe?" said Topper as he shrugged. "Anyway, I wonder if there's anything to watch on TV."

"Let's see," said Ant. "Andie, turn on the TV!"

"Roger!" saluted Andie cheerfully before turning on the TV that hung from the ceiling.

* * *

"**MAGICAL HEART OVA: WITH A TWIST!"**

* * *

Our story begins with a train running along the tracks. Inside the train was Makoto Itou, a student of Sakakino High. He was standing next to the door, listening to a walkman.

'_Once again, I am travelling on the train to school, the same as it's always been, a long, boring chain of time. The days never change._' He absently looked over to an empty seat. '_That's not really bad, in and of itself._' In his mind he pictured the faces of the girls he knew. Among them were Sekai, Kotonoha, Setsuna, Hikari, Nanami, Otome and her three friends. '_Nobody wants bad things to happen_.' He sighed. '_Even if I'm not the centre of attention, even if I'm not the hero of the story…As long as I have a normal, everyday life, that's enough for me_.' He looked out to the horizon. '_Life isn't a game. There is no reset button._'

BOOM!!!

All of a sudden there was a huge explosion. The emergency brakes of the train activating, causing the train to screech to a halt as its wheels ground against the tracks, causing sparks to fly. Makoto list balance and fell to the floor. When he got up, he poked his head out the window to see what was going on. "What? What's going on?" He could see a cloud of smoke billowing from the distance and, strangely, a UFO flying in the air, firing lasers at…something. "Huh? Uhh…what?" Suddenly, the UFO was cut down by something and subsequently exploded. "That's-" Looking up, he saw a girl dressed in a short pink dress standing on the electric pole. '_And then, the quiet everyday life that I longed for was destroyed._'

* * *

Theme Song: Climax Jump

Antonitis Fenton McCrown: "The Train of Time and Space, the ChronoLiner, will it stop in the Present, Past or Future? And which world will it end up in next?"

The ChronoLiner sped out of the King's Terminal, bursting out of the structure as it ran along the tracks, crossing a bridge with the Sands of Time, the mountains and the rainbow colored sky decorating the background.

We then go to the Radish where Ryuji Hasuma picked up a rail pass and walked out of a restaurant as Kotonoha, the waitresses and some of the customers watched.

An armored figure in black and blue armor walked into the train's cockpit, mounting the bike that controlled it, before sliding in a rail pass and grabbing the handlebars. The figure was Kamen Rider Ifrit, Ifrit Form, and he turned the handlebars to the left. The train itself responded and flew off the tracks towards a multicolored portal.

**TITLE CARD: School Days: KAMEN RIDER IFRIT**

Sakakino High stood tall as Kotonoha ran out of the building, approaching Ryuji whose back is facing her. As she approaches, the boy turned to smile at her and she returned the smile fondly, grabbing his arm. Then she panics as the entire area turns into ruins with Ryuji holding her as Time and World Tickets, depicting various dates and coordinates rain down on them.

Ryuji looked back to see everything vanish before his eyes and then a female hand turned an hourglass over. We then see Ryuji standing on the school roof, pointing forward with his Rider Pass in hand as trains tracks formed in front of him, behind him, on his left, and right.

We then see Ifrit standing in the rain of tickets as Kotonoha scattered torn up pieces of paper out in front of her.

Then, we see Ryuji sliding his Rider Pass into his belt. Transformed into Ifrit, he summoned his Ifrit Dao and struck a pose. He ran along the field, slashing at every evil Imagin he saw. Then we shift to the inside of the ChronoLiner's dining car and see Kotonoha smiling at the screen before Ryuji himself smiles with her with his arm around her. Loki then pops up in front of them, holding a plate of cookies out to the viewers before Ryuji bonks his head.

Then we see a red background and an armored and cape figure brandishing a large blade and hefting it over his shoulder. It is Ifrit Loki Form.

The scene shifts to Kenzaki and Neko standing back to back. Kenzaki henshins into Hunter Form as Neko henshins into Ryukendo. They both go into battle, fighting villainous Imagin as well as Ninja Imagin. Garoh sees Nanimo and charges at him. However, Tatsuya gets in his way and slashes at him before Ryukendo arrives to stop the villain. Garoh continues forward to fight his brother.

The scene shifts to the GaroLiner as Kenzaki and Neko sit together at a booth in the Dining Car, sharing a milkshake. The moment is ruined as Okami and Byakko start fighting. Buraki and Raion quickly join in before Kumiko silences the group of Imagin by beating them senseless. Kenzaki and Neko just look at the scene and sigh.

The scene shifts back the dining car of the ChronoLiner with the ChronoLiner Riders who are goofing off. We see Ant at the counter, drinking tea Andie just made, Ryan tossing an apple to Craig who is talking to Ryuki and Ryuji walking past Warren who gives the young man a pat on the shoulders.

We then see Ifrit, riding the Chrono-Speeder and racing forward alongside the ChronoLiner. With a mighty jump, the bike entered a hatch in the front of the train before it sped off into a portal. Finally, we see the ChronoLiner Riders each doing a silly dance within small squares in the corners of the screen as the ChronoLiner speeds off into the distance.

* * *

Sakakino High School, Class 2-4…

"Makoto!" called out Makoto's best friend, Taisuke. He was holding up a magazine with a busty girl on the cover. The title of the magazine was "The Monthly Rumor" and there was a special report entitled "The Mysterious Magical Heart Does It Again!"

"See, there's another special on Magical Heart," said Taisuke. "She's so cool, like the Kamen Riders!"

Makoto replied, bored, "Taisuke, you sure follow the crowd, don't you?"

"What?" his friend questioned. "You're not into it?" He started flipping through the pages, showing articles and photos of Magical Heart. "See? See? See? See?"

"Hm…a heroine with an unknown identity; impossible, isn't it?" asked Makoto. "Just like the Kamen Riders?"

Taisuke gave his friend a narrowed eye leer. "You're still overlooking reality like that?"

"Reality, huh?"

"There are tons of monsters and villains attacking Sakakino City! Who knows what would happen if it weren't for her and the Kamen Riders?"

Makoto debated, "For starters, where the heck do those monsters and masked villains come from?"

"How the hell should I know? They're like, monsters and villains, after all."

"Is that how it works?" Makoto didn't seem convinced.

"Man, you don't get it do you?" Taisuke questioned.

"I see…I don't, huh?" Makoto sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Taisuke.

"Nothing…but she's one weird kid, as weird as the Riders. I wonder if anyone **is** paying them, don't you?"

"It's nothing that unromantic!" retorted Taisuke.

"Romantic?"

"Magical Heart is a true hero. Adult reasoning doesn't affect her at all."

Sekai, as she sat down, decided to get in on the conversation. "A true hero?" she questioned.

"Sekai…" spoke Makoto.

"What?" frowned Taisuke. "You dislike her too, Sekai?"

"Somewhat. Isn't her secret identity suspicious?" said Sekai.

"Isn't that what's great about her?" responded Taisuke.

"Isn't her flying and breathing fire suspicious?" argued Sekai.

"Isn't that what's great about her?" retorted Taisuke.

"Yeah?" Sekai and Makoto spoke in unison.

"Ah, jeez!" Taisuke groaned. "You guys suck!" Taisuke decided he wanted a second opinion. "Yo, Kiyoura! You're not against her, right?"

Setsuna looked up from her seat and answered, "Right."

"See? Kiyoura's on my side," Taisuke boasted.

"Really, Setsuna?" asked Sekai.

"There are heroes because there is evil," spoke Setsuna philosophically. "There is evil because there are heroes."

Taisuke, Sekai and Makoto blinked. "What?" questioned Sekai in confusion to Setsuna's words.

"Magical Heart…" Setsuna murmured.

* * *

Later, at the Radish, we see Sekai, Hikari, Nanami, Neko and (surprisingly) Kokoro dressed in the standard and skimpy waitress uniforms.

"Good afternoon," said Kotonoha as she entered. With her was her boyfriend, Ryuji.

"Yo," greeted Ryuji.

"Onee-chan! Onii-chan!" said Kokoro with a wide smile at the two.

"Kotonoha-san, Ryuji, welcome!" greeted Sekai.

The pair sat down at the counter as Kokoro served them both coffee. "Here you both go!" said Kokoro cheerfully.

"So, you're a real waitress, huh?" asked Kotonoha.

Kokoro pouted, "Onee-chan, don't look at me all patronizing!"

"Since Kokoro-chan became a waitress here she's been doing a great job!" said Neko in Kokoro's defence.

"That's right!" agreed Hikari. "She doesn't drop plates like Sekai."

Nanami added, "She's a skilled worker too."

Sekai snapped, "Wait! You make it sound like I'm **not** a skilled worker!"

"They are right, you know," said Ryuji as he took a sip of coffee.

Sekai snapped at him, "Who asked you!?"

Hikari said, "You're always making trouble, Sekai."

"That's right, even though she's worked here longer than anybody," said Nanami with her arms crossed.

"True," Neko agreed.

"Hey, stop picking on me!" frowned Sekai, puffing out her cheeks.

Hikari and Nanami moved to stand behind Kokoro. "But Kokoro-chan's been great since she started," complimented Hikari as she rubbed Kokoro's head.

"She's our ace!" added Nanami.

"Our little cutie!" Neko giggled.

Sekai glowered at her friends in anger. Kotonoha apologized on her sister's behalf, "I'm sorry, but Kokoro insisted. She said she wanted to learn about the real world."

Sekai waved it off, "It's fine, it's fine. Sekai explained, "She's really helping us. Our sales have doubles since she came."

"V!" said Kokoro cheerfully, doing a victory sign with a smile.

"Which only proves that some of the customers have a fetish for little girls," mumbled Ryuji. Kokoro was like a little sister to him. If any guy just looked at her funny he'd be on him in a second. He would be quick to defend her like he defended Kotonoha.

Kotonoha advised, "Kokoro-chan, don't get too arrogant and cause trouble for everyone, OK?"

"I'm fine! Leave it to me!"

Suddenly, the five of them heard a ringing sound and grew alarmed. Kotonoha blinked. "An e-mail?" she asked. She assumed it was their cell phones.

"Y-yeah," answered Kokoro.

"Just a few emergency orders," said Sekai. The waitresses gasped. "By which I mean we have something to do."

"Yeah, me too!" said Hikari as she hurried away.

"Me too!" said Nanami as she hurried after her friend.

"Me three!" said Neko before following after them.

"Kotonoha-san, enjoy yourself," said Sekai before leaving.

"S-see you later, Onee-chan!" said Kokoro before she too left.

Ryuji and Kotonoha exchanged looks and shrugged. That was when Kenzaki entered with a bouquet of flowers

"Where's Neko-chan?" he asked.

"You just missed her," said Ryuji.

"Crud."

* * *

The Radish girls had gone to the locker room and stood in front of their lockers before opening the doors and entering their respective ones. Once they closed the doors a trap door opened up beneath each girl, sending them all sliding down a chute. They pulled down their skirts so that they wouldn't expose their undies. Only Kokoro seemed to ne enjoying it. Well, Neko as too.

They finally landed inside what looked like a super-advanced control room upon a circular grid. They all landed roughly and painfully, all except for Neko who landed on her feet.

"Let's do something about that exit…" groaned Hikari. Neko helped them all up to their feet, one by one. They thanked her.

"Ouch, can't we have a normal hallway?" asked Nanami as she messaged her shoulder.

A large screen came to life, revealing Sekai's mother, Youko Saionji on it. She was wearing a captain's hat and coat, and had a scar running across her face. She said in response, "We're emphasizing on coolness, here."

"Manager…I mean, Commander," spoke Nanami.

"In this job, appearance is what matters the most!" said Youko defensively, like she had done it many times before.

"Is that how it works?" questioned Hikari.

"Mom's got an old-fashioned sense of style," said Sekai, explaining her mom's insistence.

"It's still cool, in a retro sense," said Neko.

"Call it "How it's supposed to be done"!" said Youko with a frown. "You can't slack on the basics!"

'_Is that chute "the basics"?_' thought Hikari and Nanami.

Youko cleared her throat and continued, "That aside, we've got an emergency."

"We always do," mumbled Sekai.

"Evil doesn't take time off!" shouted Youko.

The circular grid under them came to life, showing what was happening. It was shockingly evil…it was…Catgirls!?

"Catgirls!?" exclaimed Sekai and Neko.

"Kawaii!" squealed Kokoro.

"Seems familiar, though," Hikari scratched her head.

"For some reason, women and young girls in Sakakino Hills Shopping District were turned into catgirls," reported Youko to her subordinates. "The cause is currently unknown. However, the affected area is spreading."

"Go and stop it! Sakakino Sentai Radish Rangers, deploy!" ordered Youko.

"Overflow!" the 5 girls exclaimed as they pressed a button on their chokers. Instantly, their clothes were torn apart and replaced by tight white bodysuits with short skirts and trimmed in their respective colors. Their boots and gloves were in their respective colors and their suits had V-belts in their respective colors. Finally, helmets in their respective colors formed over their heads. They all looked designed after felines with pointed earpieces on top and black visors covering their eyes. Also, they had tails attached to their belts. Finally they struck poses, calling out their codenames.

Neko: "R-Red!"

Sekai: "R-Blue!"

Hikari: "R-Yellow!"

Nanami: "R-Black!"

Kokoro: "R-Pink!"

"SAKAKINO SENTAI RADISH RANGERS!"

"Let's go, girls!" ordered Neko. Her teammates nodded before following her out. "MOVE OUT!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Shopping District, the nefarious villains were spreading the Catgirl Wave everywhere, turning innocent women and girls into catgirls. While cute, they were vicious, and attacked all the men without mercy. Even the police couldn't do anything against the growing army of catgirls.

On top of one of the taller building were the villains. One was young woman dressed in thick armor that covered her chest and shoulders, while the rest of her body was concealed under a robe. The collar was pulled up to cover the lower half of her face and she wore an oversized bow ribbon in her hair that looked to be made of steel. This was the infamous Doctor S.

"I'll start spreading fear here," said Doctor S in her monotone voice. "This shopping district will become a stepping stone for plunging the world into chaos. S'il vous plait."

"That's right," agreed her partner, clad in black armor themed after a lioness. (Imagine a feminine version of Black Lion Rio of GekiRangers). This was the equally infamous Dark Lioness. "With our Catgirl Wave spreading all over, we will amass an army big enough to conquer the entire country and eventually the world." She was rubbing her golden clawed hands in glee. The black visor concealing her face slid up to reveal her face but her eyes were covered by goggles so nobody could tell who she was. She laughed evilly as she watched the chaos.

Among the victims caught up in the chaos were none other than Makoto and Taisuke who were running for their lives from the homicidal catgirls.

"What the hell!?" shouted Makoto.

"This would be so hot if they weren't trying to hurt us!" shouted out Taisuke. Some of the catgirls were fellow schoolmates which included Otome and her posse.

"This is your fault for demanding I go shopping with you!" Makoto yelled back, blaming Taisuke for his predicament.

"Without you I couldn't find where _those_ stores are!"

"Is that what you're really after? Ask me at school then!"

"I'd be too embarrassed!"

"You fucking moron!"

Doctor S watched and encouraged, "Dark Lioness, spread the wave further."

"Roger!" said the Dark Lioness as she pressed a button on a remote. The machine behind them, which was a computer with a satellite dish on top, spread out a stronger Catgirl Wave. One would notice that the satellite dish was painted to look like a cat's face and topped with cat ears. "Go, my pretties! Go!"

Makoto and Taisuke found themselves cornered and Otome stared hungrily at Makoto. Licking her lips, she then lunged at him but he was saved when a blue gloved fist slammed into Otome's face and sent her flying back into the catgirl army, toppling her posse.

"Hold it right there!" shouted R-Red as she appeared with her team. "Sakakino Radish Rangers are here!" She and the rest of her team posed.

"Those Rangers again," sneered Dark Lioness. "Wanna go and welcome them, Doctor S?"

"Yes," Doctor S agreed before they both teleported to ground level.

"You never learn, do you?" said R-Blue, "This is your doing again, isn't it, Doctor S?"

"It is, Radish Rangers," said Doctor S.

"And don't forget me!" Dark Lioness announced. "The Dark Queen of Beasts, Dark Lioness!"

Turning starry eyes, Makoto and Taisuke exclaimed, "You came!"

"Well, we're going to take you down this time!" said R-Red.

"That's right!" R-Blue.

"You know, you did come late," pointed out Doctor S.

"Hey, we need to get ready too," snapped R-Yellow.

"Can we get on with the Kung fu Fighting?" questioned Dark Lioness.

"Yeah, and after we beat you we'll get ourselves a raise!" shouted out R-Blue.

"And hazard pay!" added R-Yellow.

"And overtime pay!" finished R-Black.

"What?" questioned the two villainesses.

"We got some issues," said R-Pink.

"Radish Rangers, attack!" ordered R-Red and then the 5 Rangers charged at Dark Lioness who charged right back after her visor slid close. Using their martial arts skills, and their superior numbers, they were able to overpower her...or at least it seemed like it. All Dark Lioness needed to do was to snap her fingers to get some backup.

"Yo, Doctor S! Guard the machine!" shouted out Dark Lioness as she and the catgirl army fought the Rangers back.

"Yes," said Doctor S before she teleported.

The number of catgirls was overwhelming and the 5 Rangers were soon backed into a corner. Dark Lioness, in the lead, formed a dark ball of energy in her hand. "So long, Rangers!" She then tossed the ball at them. However, it never connected as a violet figure got in the way and intercepted the ball of energy which was deflected.

R-Red recognised the figure and gasped in shock. "GekiViolet!"

It was the mysterious Ranger, the lone wolf of the night, the enigma of the darkness, the...Oh, you know. GekiViolet!

He helped up R-Red who blushed under her helmet from the contact. "Are you okay, R-Red?"

"H-Hai," stuttered the Red Radish Ranger.

"Hey, Red, you can make googly eyes with him some other time!" snapped R-Blue. She was trying to hold off Otome who was trying to claw at her.

"Now help us!" shouted R-Black.

"OK!" nodded R-Red and then she noticed something. "Huh, where's Pink?"

Yes, where was the cute and small R-Pink?

The Rangers fought off the catgirls as R-Red and GekiViolet both took on Dark Lioness. The dark villain proved to be a formidable opponent but the two Rangers would not be defeated by the likes of her.

"Hyah!" shouted GekiViolet as he slammed a fist into Dark Lioness' head as a fist from R-Red crashed into her gut. The dark villain was sent flying and smashed into the wall. Growling angrily, she got back to her feet.

"There's nowhere to run. Give yourself up," said R-Red.

"Oh, that's what you think!" Dark Lioness roared, "TO ME, CATGIRLS!" The catgirls did as ordered and regrouped with their leader. "GIVE ME YOUR POWER!" All the catgirls began to meow, which increased in volume. The Radish Rangers were wondering what was going on until GekiViolet pointed it out to them.

"She's absorbing their power!" he announced.

Once fully charged, Dark Lioness prepared to attack. However...

"_Magical Brain Cleaning!_"

A pink wave of energy cancelled out the effects of the Catgirl Wave, much to Dark Lioness' shock and Doctor S' displeasure. Once the wave washed over the catgirls, they all fell unconscious, cutting off Dark Lioness from accessing their power. "Oh, shit!" she cursed.

"Stop right there, evil catgirls!" a young female voice announced.

Standing atop another building was a little girl dressed in a pink outfit with a short skirt, pink stockings that came up to her thigh, pink sleeves along her arms, a white maid-like apron with a yellow heart in front and finally a large pink bow ribbon in the small of her back. This was none other than...

She went through her speech, "Eyes, shoulders and small butt. Magical Injection! Super-Fresh Magical Girl Warrior, Magical Heart! Live here in Sakakino Shopping District, okay?" She finished off with a cute wink.

"Magical Heart!" shouted Dark Lioness in anger.

"Magical Heart!" cheered Taisuke.

"Magical Heart..." murmured Doctor S. "Why you...?"

"Makoto!" shouted Taisuke as he tackled into his friend. "Gimme your camera phone! I wanna take pictures!"

"Oi, Taisuke!" snapped Makoto as his friend searched his pockets. "Watch where you're grabbing!"

"Hey, stop stealing our glory!" snapped R-Blue.

"Blue, don't be like that," said R-Red. "She helped us out of a jam."

"But..."

Magical Heart turned to face Doctor S, questioning, "Why do you always do horrible things like this?"

Doctor S answered casually, "I am doing nothing more than playing my role. We are all actors." Appearing around her were cloaked figures wearing red drama masks. "I am the master of evil. You re the hero of good. Roles given to us by fate. Roads laid out for us by destiny. For the happy ending that we'll someday reach..."

Magical Heart became fed up and interrupted, "You're just trying to distract and make this all complicated and philosophical just to throw me off!" She pointed at her enemy, "I guess I'll just attack!" Raising her wand, she called out her attack, "_Magical Gravity Beam!_"

Lightning crashed down from the sky and destroyed Doctor S' soldiers. However, her lightning also came down to strike the Rangers and Makoto while Taisuke still stood like an idiot to take photos, eventually getting himself zapped as well.

"Quite sudden, aren't we?" asked Doctor S. Dark Lioness stood at her side now.

"You're all that's left," said Magical Heart as she pointed her wand at them. "Now, surrender, or you'll get a Magical Brain Cleaning!"

"I'd rather not. Dark Lioness..."

"Heh!" snickered Dark Lioness before she leapt off the buildings and called out, "_Ringi! Jashin Goten Hen!_"

As a result, once Dark Lioness landed, she began to grow and grow until she reached gigantic size.

"Oh..." began R-Blue.

"SHIT!" finished Makoto.

"Oh no!" shouted Magical Heart. "She's bigger now!" The fist came crashing down on Magical Heart and she flew out of the way, the bow on her back now grown into large butterfly-like wings. Dark Lioness' fist, however, smashed off a piece of the building. "Stop, or you'll destroy the shopping district!"

"NOT BEFORE I DESTROY YOU FIRST!" bellowed Dark Lioness as she continued to attack her puny opponent. "STAY STILL!" However, heavy collateral damage was being caused by her as well.

"This isn't good," said Magical Heart worriedly. "She's too big."

The Radish Rangers also looked on with worry but then GekiViolet took hold of R-Red's hand. "GekiViolet?" she asked, blushing.

"Let's go, R-Red!" the purple Ranger said before leading her towards the fight. He called out, "_Rai Rai Jyu!_" In an instant, his Violet Fierce Ki expanded and took shape into a large purple wolf, a blue jaguar, and a red tiger, all looking mechanical. "_JyuKen Gattai!_"

The three animal-mechas combined with the tiger forming the torso and arms as the wolf and jaguar became legs. The mouth of the tiger opened up to reveal a face with yellow eyes.

Inside of the giant combiner were R-Red and GekiViolet. Both went into a pose, calling out, "GEKITOUJA WOLF! BURNING UP!"

The chamber R-Red and GekiViolet were inside of certainly didn't look like a piloting chamber. It was a dark room with large bones sticking out around the back. Three scrolls hung at the back with yellow, red, and violet lines of light appearing with them. The ground was covered in mist and both GekiViolet's feet were obscured by it.

"Sugei!" Taisuke took pictures of the new giant and before long the two giants were fighting. However, Magical Heart could only watch in despair as the two giants fighting were causing MORE damage to occur.

"What should I do?" Magical Heart asked herself.

"Watch out!" shouted Makoto as beam of energy smashed into the building the magical girl was standing on. She was sent falling down to the ground. Makoto, seeing this, decided to finally be brave and ran forward to watch her. Rubble also fell but he did not care.

"Makoto, wait!" shouted R-Blue.

Magical Heart fell into Makoto's arms and the girl exclaimed happily, "Onii-chan!" Relieved, Makoto smiled but then the rubble fell down on them crushing them.

"MAKOTO!" shouted Taisuke and R-Blue. Once the dust cleared, they were relieved to see both of them just fine but shocked to see two new figures had arrived.

One was the mysterious Kamen Rider Ifrit and the other was a teenage girl dressed in a red and black skin tight outfit with a short skirt, thigh high boots, a cloak, red visor and a feathered hat. She was actually the one holding up the barrier that had kept Makoto and Magical Heart safe from harm.

"Who are you?" Doctor S questioned.

"Kamen Rider Ifrit!"

"And I am Magical Word!"

"And we will not forgive you for spreading fear in this city!" the two spoke as one.

"Troublesome," said Doctor S. "Dark Lioness, dispose of them, S'il vous plait."

Dark Lioness tossed GekiTouja over her head, flattening a building. "ROGER, GOOD DOCTOR!" The giant villainess laughed and sent a beam of dark power at Magical Word and Kamen Rider Ifrit. The barrier, however, was holding up against it. The beam vanished.

"Thank you for saving Magical Heart, Makoto Itou," said Word gratefully.

"You know me?" blinked Makoto.

"Word knows everything," said Ifrit. "Don't ya, honey?" Word blushed at the term of endearment before clearing her throat.

"Please, take cover while we finish this," said Word.

"But how?" asked Heart.

"Oh, it's coming here," said Ifrit. "DYNOLINER!!!"

Bursting from the ground was the powerful train, actually three trains, known as the DynoLiner. It crashed into Dark Lioness, sending her stumbling back and falling. The trunk of the Mammoth uncurled as it trumpeted while Tyrano and Tricera roared and bellowed.

"Ikuze!" shouted Ifrit as he jumped up and entered the Mammoth, followed by Heart and Word who both entered Tricera and Tyrano, respectively. Heart found herself in a cockpit, sitting in a chair and staring at a large console in front of her. There was a steering wheel too and a screen in front of her.

"Sugoi!" exclaimed Heart in surprise. Word and Ifrit then both appeared on the screen. "Now what?"

"_We combine!_" the two older heroes stated.

"We can do that?" Heart asked.

"Anything is possible if you believe," encouraged Word in her cockpit.

"Right!" agreed Ifrit, whose train was controlled by a bike. He took out a cell phone and put it in a port located between the gauges. "Dyno Phone, Set!" He then entered the code before calling out, "Liner Gattai!"

"Liner Gattai!" Word and Heart repeated in unison.

(OK, if you watch Go-Onger, the Gattai sequence resembles Kyoretsu-Oh)

The three trains unlinked and then flew on separate train tracks. The Mammoth broke apart before coming back together to form the torso and finally the Tricera and Tyrano equipped themselves to it to form legs. The eyes of the robot glowed as the horns swung over to attach themselves to the side of the head.

"DYNO-KING! TANJOU!" the three heroes called out, now in a new cockpit with Ifrit in between the two girls.

"HEH, WHATEVER!" said Dark Lioness as she charged but then met with a punch to the face and followed by another in the stomach. "DAMN YOU!"

"MAMMOTH CHOP!" the three heroes shouted as the Dyno-King swung down its hand, using a karate chop on Dark Lioness' head. "TYRANO KICK!" Dyno King then landed a savage kick to the giant villain's chest, sending her falling.

"Need help?" offered GekiViolet as GekiTouja Wolf stood side by side with the Dyno-King.

"Sure," accepted Ifrit. "IKUZE!"

GekiViolet and R-Red called out, "_DAI GAN GAN KEN!_" while spinning around and around in their chamber, arms out to the sides and fists clenched. GekiTouja Wolf followed their motions and charged straight at Dark Lioness, striking her repeatedly with its fists.

"Now, Liner Cross-Rod!" called out Ifrit as the weapon appeared in Dyno-King's hand. "FULL POWER CHARGE!"

The weapon became charged up by power, glowing and crackling with energy, before Dyno-King swung. "DYNO-KING EXPRESS CROSS SLASH!"

The attack hit Dark Lioness and she roared out before exploding magnificently. However, she did not perish but had shrunk back down.

"Damn it..." the villainess growled. Her machine had been destroyed during the fight with GekiTouja.

"Let's go," said Doctor S. With a mutual nod, both villainesses escaped via teleportation.

"Hey, they got away!" shouted R-Blue.

"Relax, Blue," said R-Red as she joined up with her team. "It's all over now." She then looked up to stare at Dyno-King and GekiTouja Wolf

"Yatta!" cheered Heart as Ifrit and Word smiled.

* * *

The following day at school, Taisuke was holding up a newspaper featuring the incident of the previous day and the appearance of Heart, Word, Ifrit and the Rangers. Makoto was there so he was just bored while Sekai looked exhausted.

"What happened to you?" asked Makoto.

"Just work..." groaned Sekai. "It's tough and got a pay cut too."

"I see."

"Hey, hey, check it out!" Taisuke flashed the paper at them.

"Give it a rest, Taisuke," uttered Makoto. He was too tired to care.

"But they used my photos!" Taisuke cried. "Be happy for me will you?"

"Wait," Makoto blinked. "Your photos?! That was my phone! You owe me a cut!"

"Like hell I do!" Taisuke snapped.

Makoto growled and leaped over his desk at his best friend. The two vanished into a cloud of dust with various limbs sticking out as they fought. Sekai sighed and rested her head on the table while her boyfriend and his best friend fought. After a couple more moments, she was snoozing.

* * *

At the Radish, Setsuna, Taisuke and Makoto sat together as Kokoro took their orders. Kotonoha also came and sat down with them. Kenzaki and Ryuji too showed up. Ryuji kept glaring at Makoto the whole time, causing him to shrink under his gaze. Kenzaki was busy ogling his girlfriend. Otome and her posse also came to mingle. Sekai growled at Otome's obvious infatuation with her boyfriend before Nanami and Hikari pulled her away.

As Kokoro went to get their orders, Makoto himself could see the resemblance between Heart and Kokoro. She smiled at him and he wondered if they were one and the same.

'_Nah...It's like saying Hasuma is Ifrit. What are the chances?_' thought Makoto dismissively.

* * *

**Cast List:**

Makoto Itou

Taisuke Sawanaga

Otome Katou and her posse (they got names but I don't care, really)

Neko Hasuma as R-Red

Nanami Kanroji as R-Black

Hikari Kuroda as R-Yellow

Sekai Saionji as R-Blue

Kokoro Katsura as R-Pink/Magical Heart

Kenzaki Tsukuba as GekiViolet

Kotonoha Katsura as Magical Word

Setsuna Kiyoura as Doctor S

Kat Hasuma as Dark Lioness

Ryuji Hasuma as Kamen Rider Ifrit

* * *

Warren and Benitora sat alone at a table in the Radish.

"I can't believe it," sighed Warren. "I just can't believe it…"

"Ah, I missed Hikari-chan…" whined Benitora.

"THIS IS THE ONLY SCENE WE GET IN THE WHOLE DAMN CHAPTER!!!!????" shouted Warren.

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Just something light and funny. I hope you had fun reading it!

Shadow Element 13: Poor Warren and Benitora…they got such little screen time in this chap.

Ten-Faced Paladin: I don't know about you but I found this chapter hilarious. Lots of fun to work on. Word, Heart, and Ifrit working together was cool.


	29. The 7 Tasks of Kenzaki Tsukuba

For a while now, Kenzaki had kept his eyes on Koneko. While the small Kitten Imagin seemed harmless enough, it was her contractor that worried him. Koneko could possibly be a spy and using her cute appearance to fool them. It was possibly a façade to hide her true sinister personality. Maybe this stemmed from his distrust of Kat. Despite helping him save Neko, she only did it for her sister and not him. She hadn't even apologized for most of the things she'd done. However, she had apologized for causing the rift between Neko and Kenzaki. Kenzaki still doubted her sincerity and his suspicions were proven when the CCNS was formed to attack him. They were a bunch of like-minded groupies that idolized Neko, wearing cat ears and t-shirts with her face on them. It was disturbing. Like the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB Ryuji had to deal with they were still just a bunch of weaklings in comparison to him, a master of the GekiJyu Wolf-Ken.

As much as he wanted to believe that the little Imagin was harmless, the fact that she was created by Kat made it hard to accept. He had started to become attached to the little Imagin. It was hard not to. She was excitable and was so much like Neko, only smaller. It was just so hard trying not to like her. Koneko had even managed to get him to take her to a park at King's Terminal, just so she could go out and play.

Koneko was like the little sister Neko never had and the two were inseparable. It just made it all the more painful for Kenzaki since he was going to have a talk with Neko about Koneko.

"Ken-kun, what's wrong?" asked Neko, worried about her fiancé's silence.

"Hm…it's Koneko. I don't trust her," answered Kenzaki.

"What!? Why!?" cried Neko.

"Her contractor. As far as we know, she's a spy for Kat," answered Kenzaki.

"But Koneko-chan's harmless! She would never hurt us!" defended Neko.

"She APPEARS harmless," argued Kenzaki. "But she's still an Imagin and the fact that it was Kat that contracted her makes it all the more likely that she IS dangerous."

"No…she won't betray us. Koneko-chan…she is…my imouto."

"I know Neko, I know. But still, it's difficult for me to trust her…no matter how sweet she may be."

"Kat won't betray me, so Koneko-chan won't betray me."

"Yes, but Kat would betray me," countered Kenzaki.

"Ken-kun…if you don't trust Kat-neechan or Koneko-chan, then trust me," pled Neko.

"Neko," began Kenzaki, "You're one of the few people I do trust."

"Then trust me that Koneko-chan won't betray us. Please…don't send her away."

Kenzaki let out a sigh. "I never said anything about sending her away…I may not trust her, but that doesn't mean I don't like her."

"How generous of you, Kenzaki-sama. The young catgirl does love you both a lot from what I can see," said Gekiryuken.

"Well, she reminds me a lot of Neko…only smaller," explained Kenzaki.

"And Ojou-sama does seem happier with having a little sister that looks up to her."

"I do. I do," nodded Neko.

"Onii-chan! Onee-chan!" called out Koneko as she ran up to her beloved 'older siblings'.

"What is it Koneko-chan?" asked Neko as she hugged the little Imagin.

"I wanna go to the park and play!"

"Sure," Kenzaki smiled warmly as did Neko. "Let's go."

"Yay!" the little Imagin girl cheered before jumping onto Kenzaki and latching onto his back. "Piggyback! Piggyback!"

* * *

"**THE 7 TASKS OF KENZAKI TSUKUBA"**

* * *

It was a huge party in the DynoLiner's dining car as Loki tried to serve them as fast as he could. The results of the final exam had already come out and Ryuji and Kotonoha were celebrating. However, celebrating with them were the kings and princesses of the Demon and God Kingdoms. Also with them were Kenzaki and Neko who'd been invited to join in the festivities.

"That's my daughter!" howled King Eustace. "There's no test she can't pass!"

"But, remember, Eustace," said King Frederick as he reminded his friend, "My dear Rina got better results."

"Well, then all my daughter needs to do is catch up," countered Eustace.

"Want to make a bet?" challenged Frederick.

"Dad!" shouted Siera.

"Pop!" yelled Rina.

"No gambling!" the two princesses finished in unison.

"Aw…" the two kings frowned.

"Honestly," spoke Ryuji as he frowned. "They should act their age and their status." Seeing them right now made Ryuji respect them as kings even less and less. Luckily for him (or them) they weren't pressuring him into choosing their daughters to marry. It was actually kind of fun to have them here. No fights.

Kenzaki was in a rather foul mood. His fight with Kat didn't go as he thought it would…

* * *

"_Kuso!" cursed Kat as she shook the unconscious and bleeding Kenzaki. "Wake up you idiot! Why the hell didn't you tell me your injuries were still that bad!? Oi!" Kat looked toward the doorway as Neko entered. "Crap…"_

"_KEN-KUN!!! Nee-chan, what did you do!?" cried Neko as she shoved her sister out of the way and cradled her fiancé._

"_I challenged him to a fight," Kat tried to explain but then went silent at the look of fury etched on Neko's face._

"_YOU CHALLENGED HIM!? He's still hurt from when Nanimo attacked him!" Neko used her phenomenal strength to lift Kenzaki up. "Help me get him to the infirmary."_

"_Oh, hai," Kat nodded dumbly. She then helped Neko carry Kenzaki to the medical car._

_The fight was supposed to be Kat's chance to prove who was better, but with his injuries, Kenzaki had not been able to fight at 100 percent. Thus, he lost and Kat was winner. However, as much as she was a sore loser, she was also a sore winner. This victory did not count for her and she wanted a rematch once he recovered._

* * *

The train stopped and the door opened to allow a woman to enter. She was in her forties but was still elegant and beautiful, possessing fair skin, dark hair and storm blue eyes. She wore a purple business suit and skirt combo over a white shirt. Ryuji and Neko's eyes went wide as they smiled with glee. "Mom!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Mama!" Neko yelled out as well. Both brother and sister then went to greet their mother.

"Oh, Neko-chan, Ryuji-chan!" Emiko Narukawa Hasuma smiled as she approached them. "It's good to see you again." She gave them each a hug. Smiling, Kotonoha too went over and bowed.

"It's good to see you again, ma'am," said Kotonoha.

"Oh, Kotonoha-chan," Emiko smiled. Ryuji had brought Kotonoha to meet with her many months ago and the matriarch of the Hasuma Clan had approved of her. With her husband's busy with his duties in the Celestial Realm, she was thus the Clan Head. "Please, there's no need to be formal. You may call me 'Okaa-san'."

"Hai, Okaa-sama," Kotonoha said with a blush.

Siera and Rina exchanged looks and smiled. Their chosen's mother was here. This would be their chance to make an impression and advance one step further. Of course, before either princess could speak, their fathers decided to speak with her.

"So, you're young Ryuji's mother," said Eustace with a grin. "I'm King Eustace of the God Kingdom."

"And I am King Frederick of the Demon Kingdom," the other king introduced himself. "And you are quite lovely, Hasuma-san."

Emiko blinked. "Call me Emiko." She turned to look at Ryuji. "Kings, Ryuji-kun?"

"It's a LONG story, Mom," answered Ryuji. "But, apparently, I'm engaged to their daughters."

"Engaged?" Emiko blinked. She finally noticed Siera and Rina. "You mean those two pretty girls? They're princesses"

"Yes." He sighed.

"Hi, I'm Rina. It's nice to meet you."

"Call me Siera. Greetings, Mrs. Hasuma."

Both princesses curtsied.

"May we speak in private?" Emiko asked the kings and they nodded. "We have much to discuss."

Neko watched as Emiko spoke with the kings before joining Kenzaki. She took his hand. "I want to introduce you to Mama."

"Is that a good idea?" asked Kenzaki warily.

"Why do you ask?" Neko blinked.

"Nothing, it's just a feeling…" Kenzaki had seen the way Emiko was looking at him. Obviously, she didn't approve.

Emiko was sweet to Neko, hugging the girl closed before kissing her forehead. Neko purred warmly, lavishing the affection. Emiko did eye Kenzaki with a hint of disdain before saying, "Neko-chan, do you mind if I spoke with Kenzaki-san alone?"

"Sure," smiled Neko.

Emiko and Kenzaki watched as Neko went to mingle with the others and out of earshot.

"So, you're the boy my daughter is enamored with?" questioned Emiko as she looked Kenzaki up and down.

"Yes, I am," nodded Kenzaki.

"I'll get straight to the point. She's too good for you, and I don't like you. I don't approve of this relationship, at all," said Emiko.

"Why does this sound so familiar?" sighed Kenzaki. "Big shock, ANOTHER member of the Hasuma family hates me. Get in line."

Emiko reminded, "Well, you did try to shoot her, all because of mistaken identity and a misunderstanding."

Kenzaki winced at the reminder. "Look, I'm tired of defending my actions on that day. But the fact remains, Neko imprinted on me."

"Yes, but as strong as it is, it isn't unbreakable," revealed Emiko.

"What?" asked a shocked Kenzaki.

"There is a way to break the imprint, and as a result the person loses their memory of the person they imprinted on."

"So, you're gonna severe the link between Neko and me?" Though he wasn't showing it, Kenzaki was terrified.

"If I must. However, I will give you a chance to appeal to me. All you have to do is to choose to accept or not."

"I'll do anything," said Kenzaki.

"Good. In one week come to my mansion. I have much to prepare. In the meantime, enjoy this party with my daughter…it may be your last," warned Emiko.

"This…is bad…" Neko's mom didn't accept nor approve of him and was challenging him to see if he was worthy. "And now…I need a drink."

* * *

Later, at a bar in the King's Terminal, Kenzaki was getting himself drunk at the counter when Kat came in and tapped her fingers against the countertop, making her presence known.

"What do you want?" asked Kenzaki. She was not the person he wanted to see right now.

"Hey, Kenny, mind talking over some chili cheese fries and ribs?" suggested Kat with a large grin on her face.

"That depends, did you poison them?" asked Kenzaki.

Kat looked insulted at that remark. "And waste tasty food? You nuts?"

"No, but you are," Kenzaki pointed out. "Just thought I'd ask."

"If there's one thing we Hasumas respect, its food. Poisoning food is blasphemous!"

"Fine, fine," said Kenzaki, waving her off. "I believe you."

* * *

Meanwhile, Neko had brought Emiko to the GaroLiner. She'd introduced her mother to the crew and told her about her job as a bounty hunter. Emiko listened and praised her youngest daughter sincerely for her courage. She didn't like how Neko mentioned Kenzaki in a positive light but kept her dislike hidden. Of course, introductions weren't done. There was still one more person Neko wanted Emiko to meet.

"Mama, I'd like you to meet Koneko-chan…" introduced Neko as she showed Emiko the Kitten Imagin.

"She is an Imagin?" questioned Emiko as she looked at the little Imagin.

"Yes, she's Nee-chan's but she imprinted on me," explained Neko.

Koneko looked up at Emiko. "Mama?" She then smiled widely. "MAMA!" she cried happily as she hugged Emiko, who hugged her back happily.

"And imprinted on you, obviously," chuckled Neko. Koneko was Kat's Imagin, so it made sense for her to also share some of Kat's memories.

"Oh, how precious!" cooed Emiko as she rubbed her cheek against Koneko's. Emiko always wanted more kids. "I could just eat you up you cute little furball!"

"Daisuki!" beamed Koneko.

* * *

Kenzaki told Kat, over a plate of chili cheese fries, what Emiko had said to him and Kat knew exactly what her mother meant.

"So, Mama is putting you through '7 Tests of Worthiness', huh?" asked Kat as she stuffed her face.

"7 Tests of Worthiness?" questioned Kenzaki.

"The challenge she made could only mean that," said Kat. "This must mean she wants you to REALLY prove yourself worthy of Neko-chan."

"If that's the case, then yeah, she is." Kenzaki questioned, "Any idea as to why she hates me?"

"Actually, she pretty much found about how you first met and tried to put a bullet in Neko's head."

"Hm, I wonder who told her about that?" said Kenzaki as he glared at Kat. It just had to be her.

"Hey, she could've asked the Titans!" Kat weakly tried to defend. Kenzaki didn't look convinced. "OK, fine, I told her! But she also asked Ryuki and he confirmed it."

"Yeah, but Ryuki doesn't know how Neko and I REALLY first met."

"Yeah, she told me…thanks for saving our lives," said Kat.

"It's what heroes do," shrugged Kenzaki.

"Well, anyway, she got all the info from me when I didn't like you. She has a lot of trust in me."

"OK, so, thanks to you, your mom hates me and is looking for any reason to destroy the bond between Neko and me? Wonderful, I finally get you off my back, and now your mom wants me out of the picture. What is it with your family and hating me?"

"Ryuki doesn't hate you and neither does Ryuji," corrected Kat.

"They did at first," retorted Kenzaki.

Kat sighed and spoke, "Well, I can try to tell her differently but since you agreed to take the tests, you're stuck with having to complete them."

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter at the time," growled Kenzaki. Had Kat told her mother the truth earlier, he wouldn't be in this mess. "So, given our past together, how do I know that this isn't just another plot of yours to break Neko and me up?"

"You know that I may lie, but I never break my word," said Kat proudly.

Kenzaki sent a look at Kat. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you."

"Right, well, I wish you luck. You know, I always thought Neko and I could be happy together, just like when we shared the same body. But, I lost, to you. Goodnight," said Kat. And with that she left.

Kenzaki sat there for a moment before he realized that Kat left him stuck with the bill. "Figures…" grumbled Kenzaki.

* * *

"Mama wants to test you?" asked Neko. It was hours after the party and now Kenzaki wanted to speak with Neko about the upcoming tests. "And not just any test, but the '7 Tests of Worthiness'?"

"And in a week she wants me at your mansion to take them. Apparently, she has the same opinion of me as your sister. Meaning she'd love to see me dead," said Kenzaki.

"I don't believe she'd go that far," said Neko. Her mother would never wish that on anybody, unless they'd wronged her or her family.

"Trust me, Neko. I'm pretty good at reading body language and hers said, 'If I could, I'd kill you myself'."

"But she's giving you a chance, Ken-kun. What will you do?" asked Neko.

"I don't have a choice," sighed Kenzaki. "It's either I take the tests or I lose you."

"Ken-kun, considering all the challenges we've been through…" She took his hands in hers. "This will be the greatest of them all. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either. So, I'll go through these tests, and then your mother will have no choice but to accept me."

"I must warn you, Kenzaki-sama, that these tests will challenge your limits. Be prepared, for if you fail you stand to lose the most," warned Gekiryuken.

"Then I just won't fail," said Kenzaki. "So, what kind of tests will there be?"

"As the name implies, there are 7 tests," started Gekiryuken. "The Test of Truth, the Test of Courage, the Test of Windom, the Test of Loyalty, the Test of Emotion, the Test of Strength and the Test of Pride."

"OK…" nodded Kenzaki.

"Be warned that if you fail even ONE test, then you fail the entire thing and lose what's most precious to you," warned Gekiryuken.

* * *

It was a week later when Kenzaki and Neko arrived and were dropped off at the Hasuma-Narukawa Estate. With them was Koneko and she looked in amazement at the large property.

"Sugoi…" said Koneko. "Onee-chan, this is where you live?"

"Yes," answered Neko. "Come on, let me show you inside."

Kenzaki was about to follow when two women in black suits suddenly showed up. "Are you Kenzaki Tsukuba?" one of them a brunette, asked.

"Yes I am," said Kenzaki.

"You must come with us," said the blonde.

"OK," said Kenzaki. "Lead the way…"

* * *

Kenzaki was led into an office where Emiko was seated. She stood up and said, "So, you decided to come."

"I never decline a challenge," said Kenzaki.

"Well, you may want to rethink your decision once you meet who I have helping me," said Emiko. "Boys, you can come in now."

Kenzaki looked to his left to see another door open and three familiar young men entered the office. They were Yoshiyuki Takada, Ryuki Hasuma and Ichijyo Amakusa.

"It's been awhile, Kenzaki," greeted Ichijyo.

"Konnichiwa, Kenzaki-san," greeted Ryuki.

"Yo," greeted Takada.

Kenzaki looked towards Emiko. "They'll be helping you?" asked Kenzaki.

"That's right, and your first test starts now," said Emiko. "Takada-san."

"Hai!" Takada nodded.

* * *

"Where's Ken-kun?" Neko wondered as she was with Koneko. The Kitten Imagn was playing with some of Neko's old stuffed animals.

* * *

#1. THE TEST OF TRUTH

Kenzaki found himself strapped to a chair. His wrists were bound to the armrests and his ankles were bound to the forelegs of the chair. On his head was a helmet with a light bulb on top. Cables connected the helmet to a computer. Sitting across from him as Takada.

"You designed this, didn't you?" asked Kenzaki.

"Of course!" smiled Takada. "How did you guess?"

"The light bulb," said Kenzaki. "Thank god I can't feel pain."

"Oh, it won't zap you like my previous models. When the bulb turns red, it means you're lying and it will also show up on the screen. If it's green, you're telling the truth. Now, I got ten questions, just answer yes and no. "

"OK, shoot," said Kenzaki. He then thought over his words. "And I don't mean that literally."

"OK…" began Takada. "First one is…are you a virgin?"

"No, I'm not," answered Kenzaki. The light bulb turned green but Emiko, who was on the other side of the two-way mirror, didn't look pleased.

"Question 2: Are you a bounty hunter by choice?" Takada asked.

"Yes, I chose to be a bounty hunter." The light bulb is turned green.

"Do you drink?" asked Takada.

"Yes, I drink," answered Kenzaki as the bulb turned green

"Do you smoke?"

"I used to. I quit because Neko asked me to." The bulb again turned green.

"OK…" said Takada as he looked over the list. "Have you tried to have sex with Neko?"

Kenzaki hesitated. "No, I haven't." The light surprisingly blinked between red and green.

"Have you been tempted?"

"Yes, I have been tempted. But I would never force myself on her." The light became green.

"Have you ever hurt Neko?"

"I have never physically harmed Neko." Green light.

"How about emotionally?"

"I have…unfortunately" sighed Kenzaki. The light was green.

"Have you ever killed?"

"Yes, I have," nodded Kenzaki. Green light.

"Will you be willing to risk everything for Neko?" asked Takada, finishing off the list.

"I am willing to do anything for Neko," answered Kenzaki, his eyes full of conviction. Even Takada was convinced. The light shone green.

* * *

Emiko read over the results of the first test and was satisfied with most of the answer. Though she didn't like how some of the answers sounded, at least he was honest enough to answer truthfully. "So, he managed to pass…" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, let's see how he handles the next test."

"You wish for me to test him next?" asked Ichijyo.

"Of course," said Emiko. "You are the best at intimidation and fear."

Ichijyo didn't like how that sounded but agreed. '_I sure hope he can survive what I'm going to put him through…_'

* * *

#2. THE TEST OF COURAGE

The Test of Courage was next and was being administered by Ichijyo. For this test, Kenzaki was put in the interrogation from inside Smart Brain Tokyo. Kenzaki drummed his fingers on the tabletop impatiently as he waited for Ichijyo so they could start the test. The door creaked open and Kenzaki saw Ichijyo enter. "Took you long enough, said Kenzaki gruffly.

"I apologize for being tardy," said Ichijyo as he sat down across from Kenzaki. "By Mrs. Hasuma's request, I shall administer this Test of Courage."

Kenzaki nodded. "Alright, let's just get on with it."

"Please, be patient," said Ichijyo as he fixed his glasses. "Now, there's a reason this called is the Test of Courage. I'm going to go into your mind and find what you fear most and have you experience it. Whether you pass or not depends on how you come out of it. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready," said Kenzaki without even hesitating for a second. "Bring it on."

"Then…" Ichijyo's eyes turned demonic, with the irises red, pupils narrowed and the sclera turning black as darkness bled into them. His Mark of Sin was exposed and glowed bright red. "_**Open your mind to me!**_"

* * *

Neko was hoping, with all her heart, for the best. Gekiryuken had told her that the Test of Courage would be amazingly difficult for the challenger since they would have to face their worst fears and try to come out of it stronger.

'_Kami-sama…please help Ken-kun_.'

* * *

Kenzaki was breathing hard as he found himself back in the interrogation room.

"How do you feel?" asked Ichijyo.

Kenzaki glared at Ichijyo and growled, "I just witnessed the woman I love being torn apart by a part of my subconscious. How do you think I feel?" Kenzaki had seen horrible things. He'd seen Sauron taking control of his beast form and forcing him to kill Neko, over and over. It was his worst fear. However, he managed to, barely, break out and assume control over his fear.

"I'm sorry this affected you in such a way," said Ichijyo regretfully. He hadn't wanted to do such a thing, but it was Emiko's orders.

"Let's…let's just move on to the next test." He had little time to waste. Two down, and 5 more to go.

* * *

"Okaa-san," said Neko as she approached her mother. "Must you put Ken-kun through these tests?"

"If he wishes to be with you, then he must," said Emiko. "Don't you believe in him, Neko-chan?"

Neko didn't hesitate. "Hai, I do…"

Emiko stared. '_My daughter has a lot of faith in this one. I hope he doesn't disappoint me. It would be painful to separate my daughter from the one she loves_.'

* * *

#3. THE TEST OF WISDOM

"Alright, Kenzaki-san," said Ryuki politely as he stood with Kenzaki at the entrance of an elaborate looking maze made using the Smart Brain's Danger Room. It was basically hard light holographic technology but looked convincing enough to be real. "This is the Test of Wisdom."

"What do I gotta do now?" asked Kenzaki. After the previous two tests, the next few were either gonna get easier or harder for him.

"You must enter this maze, and maneuver your way out. However, the exit is locked. On the door there's an old Hasuma Clan riddle. The exit will not open unless you answer the riddle," explained Ryuki.

"What else?' asked Kenzaki.

"You got only one hour to complete it," said Ryuki. "So, don't waste time. The clock starts as soon as you enter."

"Right!" said Kenzaki before he entered.

"And watch out for the traps!" Ryuki warned, but it was too late. "I sure hope he'll be alright."

Kenzaki, using his keen wolf-like senses, managed to maneuver his way through the maze. He did meet several obstacles in the form of traps like flying circular saws, laser guns with motion detectors, flamethrowers, robot drones and even a boulder following him. He, however, managed to survive but he had only 5 minutes left once he arrived at the exit.

The door had the riddle written on it, which read, 'It can be held, but not seen, it is contained but also freed, it is strong but also weak, it is powerful but also fragile.'

Kenzaki wracked his brain but he was running out of time. If he was unable to solve this riddle in time, he'd lose Neko, and if he answered wrong then he'd fail completely and ALSO lose Neko. He had to find an answer, quick. He only had 4 minutes left on the clock and he was slowly running out of time.

"What could it be…what could it be…?" Kenzaki asked himself. "Think, damn it!" He thought long and hard and was now left with less than 30 seconds. He then got the answer and shouted it out.

"THE HUMAN HEART!"

The clock stopped and the door opened. Relieved, Kenzaki walked out of the maze and one step closer to passing this test.

* * *

#4. TEST OF LOYALTY

Next was the Test of Loyalty and because of the venue, Kenzaki was taken to the Hasuma Ancestral Training Grounds via a private jet. Once there, he met with Kokoru Hasuma.

"OK, boy," said Kokoru. "This is your test. Neko is tied up in a cave on the other side of this field. All you have to do is save her."

"What's the catch?" asked Kenzaki suspiciously.

"Oh…just save her, and survive."

'_Traps_,' Kenzaki mentally guessed. From the look of the training grounds there could be a number of traps planted to hinder Kenzaki. This test would challenge how far Kenzaki would go to save her one he loved.

"Now, GO!" shouted Kokoru and Kenzaki was off. "Good luck, boy, you're going to need it."

Like in the previous Test of Windom, Kenzaki had to avoid a series of traps that would seem lethal to anyone but himself. Luckily, Kenzaki managed to get through without a fuss, having predicted when and where the traps would activate. He soon arrived at the cave and saw Kat standing guard at the entrance.

"Should've known," muttered Kenzaki. Kat would be the final obstacle in this Test of Loyalty.

"Sorry, Kenny," said Kat without a hint of remorse, "You wanna get in, you gotta beat me..."

"Sounds fine to me," said Kenzaki before he charged at her to fight.

Kat was using her best weapon too. She continued to taunt Kenzaki about how he wasn't worthy and how he would never be worthy of Neko. Kenzaki ignored her but then Kat hit a sore spot and mentioned how he could never save his family.

"You'll never be anything but someone so lowly and pathetic who couldn't protect his family! How can you think that you can protect Neko?" taunted Kat.

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!" That just caused Kenzaki's bottled up rage to explode and he basically went berserk and started to beat Kat up with all his might and anger. Kat yelled out in pain as Kenzaki struck her hard, fast, and brutally.

Kat was now on the ground with Kenzaki over her, his fist drawn back and animalistic features on his angered face. Kat could feel his Ki and it frightened her, chilling her to the bone. '_Crap, I went too far_…' she realized and shut her eyes as his fist came down.

**POW!**

The crushing blow never came to Kat as the fist was buried next to her head. She blinked and stared up at Kenzaki.

Kat asked, confused. "Why did you stop?" Now was his chance to kill her and take her out of the picture once and for all. He drew back his fist and sighed.

Kenzaki answered, "If you die, Neko would be sad. And as much as your death would make me happy, Neko comes first."

Kat smiled, "Well, then I guess you pass. Go and save your princess."

Kenzaki didn't reply and walked into the cave where he found Neko tied to a wooden pole and unconscious. He untied her and then carried her out of the cave.

* * *

#5. TEST OF EMOTION

"OK, now THIS is ridiculous," said Kenzaki as he stood on stage with a microphone stand in front of him. The place was decorated like the stage for 'American Idol'. At the Judges' Table were Kat, Ryuki, Takada, Ichijyo and Emiko.

Emiko stood up with a microphone and said, "This test is the Test of Emotion. Therefore, in order for you to pass, you must convince this panel of judges that you deeply love Neko through song. Choose your song carefully, Tsukuba-san." She then sat down and Kenzaki grimaced.

'_Great…I got Kat and her mom judging_,' Kenzaki groaned mentally. This was not gonna be easy. "So, any song?"

"A love song is recommended," said Emiko.

"OK, then I choose…" What song could Kenzaki choose? He then recalled the song he sand with Neko on their first date at the Karaoke bar. It was a no-brainer and he sang his heart out. Even Kat was touched by the emotion in his song. Neko shed tears of joy. The stoic Ichijyo even smiled slightly.

The verdict: he passed.

Kenzaki sighed and muttered, "I am never doing THAT again…"

"KEN-KUN!" Neko tackled and glomped him.

* * *

It was much later when Kenzaki came to Neko with a drastic decision.

"Neko…let's get married right now!" said Kenzaki. "We'll elope."

Neko was completely speechless. Both were in her room. He'd gone over to speak with her in private. He wanted to elope?

"Kenzaki-sama, what are you saying!?" exclaimed Gekiryuken.

"It's a stupid idea isn't it?" asked Kenzaki. "But I don't know what else to do."

"You…" began Neko. "You can't be serious."

"I am serious Neko. I don't want to lose you and this is the only way I can be sure."

Neko questioned, "But…what about everyone else? They'll wonder where we went."

"You can't just leave like this either," added Gekiryuken.

Kenzaki told her. "We'll return after the ceremony. Once you and I are married, not even your mother will be able to break us apart."

"But, isn't this like running away?" questioned Neko. "I love you, I really do, but I don't think it's a good idea that we elope. It's like…the coward's way out."

"I see..." muttered Kenzaki. "So if your mother severs our bond you'll be fine with it?"

"Of course not!" cried Neko. "I would rather die than let that happen! Just, I really want to do this the right way. Ken-kun, pass the tests…for me?"

"I just don't think that'll be enough…Your mom's smart, I'm afraid she'll find a way even if I past the tests…"

"She won't do anything if you pass. Please, Ken-kun. Do it for us. You've faced Sauron with me, now please do this. Please. I love you…" said Neko as she gave him a really deep kiss.

"I love you too, Neko-chan…that's why I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. If I matter all that much to you, then fight."

"Do I look like the kind of guy to run from a fight?" Kenzaki smirked.

Neko smiled, "That's the spirit!" She hugged him close. Once they shared a moment, he exited her room. It wouldn't take long until he bumped into Kat.

"So, you want my sis to elope with you?" asked Kat with a scowl. Kat had overhead the conversation Kenzaki and Neko had before.

"I'm running out of options. Your mom hates me as much as you do, except she actually HAS the power to break Neko and me up," responded Kenzaki.

"Yes, she does, and this just proves to me how selfish and how cowardly you are," sneered Kat.

"Me wanting to be with the woman I _love_ by any means necessary makes me a coward? Can you honestly say that if your mother or Slade didn't want you and Rose together, you'd be fine with it?"

"No, but I wouldn't choose eloping. You're doing this only because you believe you CAN'T pass the tests," hissed Kat.

"No, I believe that even if I DO pass the tests, your mother will STILL find some kind of loophole and use it to break Neko and me up," retorted Kenzaki.

"So, instead of facing this to the end, you'll run?" questioned Kat.

"If it means being with Neko," answered Kenzaki. "Like I said during the first test, I'll do ANYTHING for Neko. That includes swallowing my pride and taking the coward's way out."

"If you indeed love her, then show everyone that NOTHING will stand in your way. I respect you, Kenzaki, so don't make me change my mind."

"Since when did you respect me?"

"Since I realized how much you love Neko-chan and how much she loves you. I guess I was blinded before but no anymore. Complete the tests and win Mama's acceptance, for Neko-chan, OK, Garoh-chan?"

"You are NOT allowed to call me Garoh-chan," growled Kenzaki. "Neko's the only one who can call me that."

"Sorry, but just do this for her…I guarantee you'll win this," winked Kat.

"A guarantee from you? Great, now I feel confident."

"Relax. Believe it or not I got a friend betting on you." Kat was actually referring to herself. She just wasn't going to say it.

"Thanks, I guess…"

#6. TEST OF STRENGTH

It was NOW time for the nest test and Kenzaki was getting himself ready. The place had been set up for the test and it happened to be the rooftop of Smart Brain Tokyo's building where a wrestling ring was set up. Kenzaki stood at one corner, shirtless and wearing his jeans and boots, doing some stretches. In the centre of the ring was one of Emiko's bodyguards who spoke into a microphone.

"Kenzaki Tsukuba has passed the previous 5 Tests of Worthiness!" said the bodyguard. "Despite all the odds against him he has come out at the top no matter what. However, this test will test him to his limit. This is the TEST OF STRENGTH!"

Emiko, Ryuki, Takada, Neko, Kat and Ichijyo all sat at the spectator seats.

"Wonder who my opponent is?" asked Kenzaki. He got his answer as a lightning bolt struck down from the heavens and the ring exploded. There was a thick smoke cloud and when it dispersed it showed a man, much older than Kenzaki and fitter, with rippling muscles and wearing a tight sleeveless red shirt and baggy black pants. He had green eyes, short and black spiked up hair, and three scars running over his right eye. His black hair had red tints he looked vaguely familiar.

"ANATA!" cheered Emiko. "Gambatte!"

Kenzaki blinked and then gawked at his opponent.

"MAMA!" exclaimed Neko in shock. "You want Ken-kun to fight…PAPA!?"

'_Papa!?_' Kenzaki thought and then he realized who his opponent was. '_LIBRA!?_'

"And just arriving is Kyousuke Hasuma, the TRUE Head of the Hasuma Clan!" announced the bodyguard.

Kyousuke Hasuma, also known as Libra of the Zodiac Knights. A Celestial…A god…an immortal.

"But, Okaasan," protested Ryuki. "Otousan could kill him."

"Maybe," nodded Emiko. "But the rules did state that the challenger must face the STRONGEST member of the clan in the Test of Courage."

"That's right," said Kat in agreement. "And who's stronger than our dear old dad?"

Ryuki and Neko NOW looked incredibly worried.

"So, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Kenzaki?" asked Kyousuke.

"I guess, sir," replied Kenzaki. "So, I have to fight you."

"Yes," answered Kyousuke. "I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"Don't be," smiled Kenzaki. "It's an honor."

"Personally, I think you're the right man for my daughter," said Kyousuke.

"Thanks."

"And now…BEGIN!" the bodyguard announced. A gong was banged.

Kenzaki was the first to attack and struck fast and ferocious like a wolf, only for Kyousuke to block with ease. All of Kenzaki's hits didn't hurt all that much but they did put some pressure on Kyousuke. Kenzaki then kicked out but Kyousuke jumped over the leg and swung his leg in a tornado kick.

WHAM!

Kenzaki was sent flying across the ring and into the ropes before bouncing back. Kyousuke looked at the young man who loved his daughter with a look of regret but his wife wanted him to help see if Kenzaki was worthy and even he was powerless to stop the tests when it got to this point.

Kyousuke rushed forward and started to pummel Kenzaki with punches and the Wolf Rider did his best to block. Despite not being able to feel pain, he could feel the impacts against his body, breaking his bones. One uppercut sent him skyward and then Kyousuke leapt up to slam Kenzaki to the ring's floor with an axe kick.

"KEN-KUN!" Neko shouted in horror.

"I'm…fine…" coughed Kenzaki. He definitely felt that. He heard Kyousuke land and picked himself back up, getting shakily onto his feet.

"I'm surprised that you survived," said Kyousuke.

"That's probably because you haven't used all your power," remarked Kenzaki. "Come on, aren't you supposed to be the strongest?"

Kyousuke shook his head. "I am not allowed to go all out on a mortal," said Kyousuke. "So, I am only using 10 percent of my true strength."

"I can take it," said Kenzaki.

"If you wish," said Kyousuke before he blurred and then…

POW!

WHAM!

THUD!

A punch and kick combo sent Kenzaki flying into the ropes which bounced him back to Kyousuke who swung a bloody haymaker into the bounty hunter's face.

CRACK!

That definitely was the sound of bones breaking.

Kyousuke flicked his wrist as he saw Kenzaki's prone body. He sighed. "It's over…" He turned but then heard shuffling behind him and some gasps from the audience. He turned around to see Kenzaki, getting up to his feet and using the rope around the ring to support himself. He reached up to his nose and set it back into place with a crack.

"You're defiant," said Kyousuke. "Never know when to quit."

"That's why I always get my man," said Kenzaki. "So, are we gonna finish this, or not?"

"Are you so eager to die?" questioned Kyousuke.

"I'm eager to prove my worth to your daughter, even if I gotta die trying!" shouted Kenzaki.

"Ken-kun…" Neko let out.

"Very well, then," said Kyousuke. "Since you wish to see this to the end, then I shall oblige…"

"Bring it on, old man!" challenged Kenzaki.

Kyousuke dashed forward and then threw his fist at Kenzaki who howled and then threw his own Violet Fierce Ki covered fist. Both fists met on impact and caused an explosion of light.

The light was so bright that it temporarily blinded the audience and once it died down they could all see Kenzaki standing against Kyousuke.

"Ken-kun!" shouted Neko as she ran to the ring and climbed up the side so she could get to him. She ran over. "Ken-kun!"

"He's got internal injuries, before coming here," said Kyousuke.

"Yes," answered Neko.

"And yet he managed to survive until now," added Kyousuke. "Anyone else would've died."

"True…"

Kyousuke looked towards Emiko who nodded and Kyousuke announced, "KENZAKI TSUKUBA PASSES!!!"

* * *

Kenzaki was immediately taken to the infirmary to have his wounds treated and healed. Ichijyo was there to do the healing. Neko was present too. Outside, Emiko was leaning against the wall. She was wondering if it was a good idea for her to challenge Kenzaki. Look what was happening. She was breaking her daughter's heart, but she was only doing what she thought was best for her daughter like any mother in these sorts of situations.

Emiko heard the tapping of footsteps and looked to see Koneko. "Koneko-chan?" She had accepted the small Imagin as part of her family but the look the Kitten Imagin was giving her chilled her to the bone. Is was cold and filled with rage, and also tears. "Koneko…"

"Mama is trying to break up Onee-chan and Onii-chan. Mama is bad…" sniffled Koneko. She clenched her tiny fists.

"Koneko…" began Emiko.

"I HATE YOU!" cried Koneko. She then stormed off in anger.

Emiko watched her run away, crying. "Wait!!!" called Emiko. "Oh, what have I done?" Still, even she was powerless to stop the tests at this point. Maybe she needed to speak with someone.

"Okaasan, are you alright?" asked Ryuki as he saw his mother. He'd gone to get some bandages from the supply room.

"I don't know anymore," answered Emiko. "Ryuki-kun, am I doing the right thing here?"

"I believe you are doing what you think is best for Neko-chan," answered Ryuki. "But, maybe you need to speak with someone else about this."

"Who?"

"A very dear friend of mine," said Ryuki.

"My son, Ryuki, speaks highly of you, Warren-dono," said Emiko as she took a sip of her tea. Both were seated across from each other. Ryuki had Emiko taken over to Warren's apartment via the ChronoLiner. Warren, having a degree in psychology, would be a definite help in this situation.

"Thank you, Emiko. Ryuki's a good kid. A little sensitive, but a good kid," replied Warren.

"Yes, but I do blame myself for turning him into a hero," sighed Emiko. "I told him all those tales in his youth and set him on that path. He was so young and didn't understand the trials and tribulations."

"I went through the same thing. I grew up on the tales of heroes like Captain America and the Justice Society of America. Even after everything I've been through in life, the stories I heard about those great men is what made me the man I am now," said Warren.

"Yes, so I've heard. Great men they were. Back in my youth I was in the hero business with my husband. I, however, retired, while he ascended to godhood. I do miss him greatly but he does visit. Still, the way Ryuki speaks of you, it's like he speaks of a father figure."

"Really?" asked a shocked Warren. "I knew he looked up to me like an older brother, but a father figure?"

"That's the impression I got. He respects your wisdom and appreciates your guidance. But, now, let us talk of my other son, Ryuji."

"Well, he's a little rough around the edges, but he's a great kid. He reminds me a lot of myself actually."

"Yes, but he hasn't visited much. Can you tell me what has been happening with him and Kotonoha-chan?" asked Emiko.

"Kotonoha is the best thing that could have ever happened to Ryuji. They complete each other. But, things have been both good and bad for them."

"Could you please tell me more of what has happened?"

"Well, a while back Ryuji proposed to her, and she accepted happily."

"Really?" questioned Emiko. She then went starry eyed. "Oh…another daughter-in-law...but…what of the bad?"

Warren's face became sad, "Well, they found out that Kotonoha was pregnant…and there was an attack."

"Attack?" gasped Emiko. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Ryuji helped her…but they lost the baby."

"My god…What happened to the one who caused it?" asked Emiko, an edge to her voice.

"A slow painful death…much more than it deserved."

"Good, it suffered for its transgression. Nobody should lose a child like that. They were looking forward to having it, I assume?"

"They were. They were even picking out names and coming to Rae and me for parenting advice."

"So, the recovery process went smoothly for them?" asked Emiko.

Warren nodded, "Yes, it did. Like I said, Ryuji helped her through it. But…" He rubbed his left shoulder, the one with the bullet lodged in it. "The pain will stay with them, forever."

"Hm…and what of my daughters?" questioned Emiko.

"Well, Kat's been causing trouble for everyone," sighed Warren.

"I presume as much. As a child she did all she could for attention. I hope it wasn't serious."

"She turned all the female students at the school into catgirls. And then there was that fiasco with the Loathe Arrow."

"Catgirls? I recall a similar incident in Jump City. And what is a Loathe Arrow?"

"Well, she hypothesized that it would cause anyone who was shot with it to hate the person they loved. In truth, it only amplified the hatred that was already there," explained Warren.

"I guess nothing good came out of that?"

Warren answered bluntly, "Kenzaki bit her."

"Bit her!?" shouted Emiko.

"The Loathe Arrow forced Kenzaki into a beast-like state. His hatred of Kat was amplified…greatly," explained Warren.

"Hm…it seems Kenzaki hates Kat-chan a lot. Why is that?" asked Emiko.

Warren answered, "Kat reminds Kenzaki of the Living Gate, who killed his family. That and Kat tends to antagonize him…a lot."

"So…that's why he hates Kat-chan. The Living Gate again," sighed Emiko. "And yet he loves Neko despite the similarities?"

"The major difference is that Neko shows regret for their actions during that time, while Kat seems to want to stay that way. Most her plans also focused on trying to break up Kenzaki and Neko."

"Hm…so she does have her reasons for not wanting them to be together. I doubted this relationship when Kenzaki nearly murdered Neko, but I can't blame him for it, it seems.

"Kenzaki's a good man, who loves Neko more than anything else. I've seen what a love like theirs is capable of. To take Neko away from him would just be cruel."

"I misjudged him then. Thank you, Warren-dono, but Kenzaki must still complete the last test, the Test of Pride."

"What will he have to do?" asked Warren.

"It will test his forgiveness," explained Emiko.

"Hm, it should be interesting to see how this all plays out."

"Yes, because he will need to swallow every ounce of his pride for this one. Please, continue to watch over my children, Warren-dono."

"They are like family to me. My kids love them. I'll do anything and everything for them."

"Yes, because I sense that they will need your support for further challenges ahead of them."

"Just as I think I'll need theirs."

* * *

#7. TEST OF PRIDE

It was time for the final test. This time it was going to be a huge challenge for Kenzaki. It all depended on his actions.

Kat and Kenzaki were standing in a dark and empty room. "Alright, Kenny, this is your final test," informed Kat.

Kenzaki asked, "OK, so, what exactly do I have to do?"

Kat swallowed her own pride. This was a test for her too. She slowly got down on her knees and bowed down to Kenzaki with her hands on the ground. He just stared at her oddly but then was surprised by her words.

Kat was asking for forgiveness. "I...apologize for all the things I've done to you. I'm sorry for trying to break you and Neko up. Please, forgive me for all the horrible things I've done."

He was having an inner struggle of his own. Could he, really, forgive this girl who enjoyed tormenting others for fun, as well as being partly responsible for him and Neko nearly breaking up? He closed his eyes and looked through his memories. Despite all the bad things she'd done, she had done some good. Even if her reasons were in her own interest, she still pulled through. She was swallowing her pride by asking for his forgiveness, so he might as well do the same for her. It was what Neko would've wanted.

Kenzaki was silent before answering, "Do you swear on your honor that you'll never do anything to try and harm mine and Neko's relationship ever again?"

Kat swore, "I do, on my honor. My word is my bond."

Kenzaki snorted. "Stand up, kneeling doesn't suit you."

Kat did as told, gratefully. "Yea, it hurts my knees. My legs were about to fall asleep."

Kenzaki continued, "Kat...I thought I could never forgive you. However, I will...thank you." Kat was surprised by his answer and even more surprised when he got down on his kness in front of her.

"H-h-hey!" she stammered. "W-what are you doing!?"

Kenzaki continued, "Despite how rare they are and the fact that you do them for selfish reasons, thank you for all the good you've done. I no longer see you as being just as bad as Sauron, though you still piss me off just as much as she does. And...you're not the only one that has stuff to apologize for. Because of my blind hatred for you, I hurt the girl I love. I just blamed you while it was really all my fault. I...I just thought it'd be easier to just blame you so I didn't have to take the blame." He was inwardly struggling with his next set of words. He rose up and finished, "So...as you have apologized, I too ask for forgiveness as I forgive you." He then stood up to face her.

"You're asking for _my_ forgiveness?" Kat blinked in confusion.

"Pretty much," nodded Kenzaki. "And I've already forgiven you too," he reminded.

She hadn't expected him to just forgive her, or even apologize for his own actions, even with the apology which she had planned out. This was actually as much as her Test of Pride as it was Kenzaki's. Her mom had a long talk with her regarding her behaviour and after Kat explained herself and apologized, Emiko ordered her to apologize to Kenzaki and ask for his forgiveness. She didn't expect to be forgiven, much less for him to apologize either.

"So, are we even?" Kat asked.

"Yes," said Kenzaki. "But, if you ever do anything to mess with Neko and I…" He let the threat hang. She understood perfectly.

"So, as I've apologized and forgived, so do you?" questioned Kat.

"I can't believe it myself either," admitted Kenzaki. "But that's what happened."

"Well...it looks like you pass," said Kat. "Now it's up to Mama to see if you're worthy or not."

"Joy…" mumbled Kenzaki sarcastically.

* * *

In the GaroLiner's dining car, Emiko came to announce her decision. After all she'd witnessed, she could only draw ONE conclusion.

"After much thought…" began Emiko, "I _guess_ I can allow you to be with my daughter."

Kenzaki frowned. "So, after all I went through, the best I get is an 'I guess'?" questioned Kenzaki.

"Ken-kun…" warned Neko. He should really hold his tongue.

"Figures, I knew I could never be completely accepted," growled Kenzaki. He then turned around and left. "I'll be back later," he said as he exited the dining car and the door slid close as soon as he left.

"There he goes again," sighed Okami.

"Ken-kun…" said Neko sadly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Okami.

"Don't worry about it, Shoujo," said Okami.

"What was that about?" asked Emiko.

"Shonen-kun is pretty simplistic, you gotta spell stuff out to him or he misunderstands," explained Okami. "He's taken so many blows to the head over the years sometimes he forgets to read between the lines. He ends up taking things in the literal sense. By you saying that you guess he can be part of the family, he heard it as, 'You can marry my daughter, but you still won't be part of our family'. The same thing happened when Shoujo here said 'no' to his first proposal."

"Emiko-sama, you should've worded your answer carefully," said Gekiryuken.

Emiko frowned grimly. '_Looks like I need to clean up this mess now_.'

* * *

"Tsukuba-san, matte!"

Kenzaki looked over his shoulder to see Emiko approaching him. "Hasuma-san? Why are you here?" asked Kenzaki.

"I came to clear up a misunderstanding," said Emiko.

"What misunderstanding? I passed the tests. So what if I won't be part of your family? It's not like you exactly liked me to begin with," said Kenzaki.

"I have been told more sides of the story from my other children, not only Kat-chan. She had a biased view of you and I do apologize on her behalf."

"She already apologized. She hates me, she'll always hate me. I accept that. But thank you," nodded Kenzaki.

"And, I also apologize for the way I was wording my sentence before. I already gave you my blessing, Tsukuba-san. After all, you did risk your own life for Neko-chan."

"I'd do anything for her. Nothing would ever stop me from helping her. And it wasn't the blessing I was upset about. It was the fact that Neko's family will always be first in her heart. And if I'm not considered a part of your family, I can never be first in her heart."

"Then how would you like to be officially adopted into the Hasuma Clan?" offered Emiko.

"Really?" asked the shocked Kenzaki.

"Yes, as long as you promise to always love and cherish my daughter. You are part of this family as far as I can see. Only family goes so far for one another."

"Thank you, Hasuma-san," nodded Kenzaki. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Well, you passed all the tests even in your condition. Still, I will have a long talk with Kat about what she's done."

"Don't be too hard on her. She was just looking out for Neko. Even if she was being overly possessive about it. So, I take it Neko told you about the first time I proposed?" questioned Kenzaki.

"And how you reacted," added Emiko, referring to the two weeks that Kenzaki had spent drunk. "You took her by surprise and she's still young."

"Well, given how everything was going smoothly until then, I was hoping she'd say yes…but well, things only got worse after that point."

"She and Kat were burdened with a curse when they once shared a body and I had only one daughter. The Living Gate. One of my relatives was with the Makai Council in Kansai and voted to have her executed. However, he was outvoted thus she was put under protection and heavy observation. However, she also felt isolated and overshadowed by Ryuki-kun. She could sense all the stares and I feared the darkness grew within her and I was powerless to stop it. Thankfully, they are free now."

"Yes, she is. And I'm glad. I sort of know what that's like, to be overshadowed and pushed into the background."

"Well, you make her feel like the centre of the universe. I never saw her so happy before. I was happy too when Kat found Rose. Love is the only thing that can keep the Living Gate at bay while hatred feeds it."

"In that case, Sauron better not mess with Neko and me," said Kenzaki proudly.

"See that she doesn't, Kenzaki-kun."

"I will, Emiko-okaasan."

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: Looks like Kenzaki has OFFICIALLY been welcomed to the Hasuma Clan. BTW, wonder where Ryuji and Kotonoha were during the tests? Well, take a looksie at this!

* * *

**RYUJI DAYS**

Ryuji purred contently as he lay on the floor with his head in Kotonoha's lap. She stroked his hair gently as she cleaned his ear. He shivered pleasantly as she touched a sensitive part as she continued with the cleaning.

Kotonoha loved to hear him purr and had learnt by touching which spots would get him to make the sound. She giggled as she listened to his purring. This was the side of him he would never let anyone see. She now understood why he was like this due to her travelling into his mind many months ago. He had some feline traits and tendencies. He loved to drink milk, eat seafood, and possessed the cat-like agility, reflexes and senses of a cat.

"Koto-chan…" he let out with a purr. "Please, don't stop. Feels good…"

"I know, but I'm done with this ear. Turn over." He did as told and she started cleaning his other ear while still stroking his hair. As messy as wild as it was, it was surprisingly soft. Sometimes she would braid it and one time she even cut off a lock of hair as a keepsake. Actually, it was when she'd trimmed his hair. It was really long as it reached down to his waist.

"Daisuki…" Ryuji uttered, eyes closed as he purred. Kotonoha smiled. In public Ryuji had trouble expressing how much he loved her with words. He would flirt with her, but actually saying it was another issue entirely. Still, in private moments like this, the words felt special. "Aishiteru…"

The Imagin attacks were becoming less and less frequent and since summer vacation was just around the corner, Kotonoha wanted to spend each day with him. She just loved him so much with all her heart. Her hand went from his hair to the pendant which dangled from her neck. The ice crystal shaped like a heart represented how he'd willingly given her his heart. It was such a romantic gesture.

* * *

Kotonoha purred slightly with her eyes closed as she snuggled against Ryuji's back. She was riding behind him on his bike while he sat in front with his hands gripping the handlebars tightly. His bike, the Machine Dyno-Breaker, was in disguise and without the tusks looked like any other bike and wouldn't draw any attention. They were on their way to school, to be exact, and it was Kotonoha herself who'd suggested they take a ride on the bike. Ryuji had a spare white helmet for her to use.

Kotonoha loved the feeling of riding with Ryuji. Though a motorbike was a dangerous vehicle, she felt safe with him at the controls. As he was a Kamen Rider, it was only natural for him to ride a bike and be good at it. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, pressing her front against his back. He smirked behind his helmets visor.

As they approached the gate, the KLLA was waiting for them and looked ready to fight. Kotonoha heard three distinct words, "Hold on tight." She didn't need any other warning and tighten her hold on him.

"RYUJI HASUMA, TODAY WE…HEY, STOP!!!" Ryuji, however, wasn't going to stop and continued to accelerate as he got closer. Though they were willing to be beaten up for the sake of Kotonoha, none of them were brave enough or stupid enough to risk a head on collision with a speeding motorcycle. As Ryuji got close, the KLLA all scrambled to safety. Ryuji put on the brakes and his bike skidded against the ground, coming to a halt sideways. Kotonoha screamed excitedly as the rush and adrenaline finally came to her. Finally, the vehicle stopped.

Dust had been kicked up, creating a cloud. Ryuji kicked down the stand and helped Kotonoha off the bike as he did the same. Reaching up, he undid his chin strap and pulled off his helmet, allowing his long hair to fall down like a curtain. It was as messy as ever and on impulse Kotonoha ran her hand through it. He shuddered and purred from the contact.

The KLLA looked ready to fight again but this time Ryuji had an idea. "Stand back," he told Kotonoha and he quickly replaced and strapped on the helmet onto his head. He mounted his bike again and started the engine. The Dyno-Breaker growled as he revved up the engine before he kicked up the stand and sped straight towards the groupies, screaming, "BANZAI!"

Kotonoha watched as her fiancé defended her honor by sending the KLLA members all scrambling for their lives upon his bike. He even performed a wheelie to frighten them. One of the things she learnt about Kamen Rider was that the bike itself could be used as a weapon.

"ARGH!!! WE SURRENDER!!! MERCY!!!" the KLLA all ran for their lives from the charging beast named Ryuji Hasuma. It was easy dealing with a mob mentality. Scare one and you scare them all.

"COME BACK HERE!" Ryuji howled as he continued to chase them around on the Dyno-Breaker.

Warren looked out the window of the staff room and sighed. "I guess I should stop this…" He watched as some stragglers ended up getting clothes-lined by Ryuji, "But…it is self defense." He witnessed as Ryuji removed his helmet and used it as a club on the KLLA while still riding on his bike. "Of course, I can't let this go on any longer, no matter how fun it looks."

"FACE ME, YOU COWARDS!!!" Ryuji laughed as he continued to go on a rampage.

* * *

At the Radish's locker room, Ryuji was changing into his work clothes. Since there was only one room for him to change in, he had to wait until it wasn't being used. While it was nice and private, what he didn't seem to realize was the peephole the girls had drilled into the wall just days after he started working. While the waitresses themselves were eye candy for the male customers, Ryuji was eye candy for the waitresses.

One waitress muttered, "Woah, look at that chest."

"Forget that, check out those biceps."

"His abs look so yummy. Ooh, check out his butt!"

Ryuji's ears twitched. Though they tried to whisper, he could still hear them with his superior hearing. Once he finished changing, he exited the locker room to join up with rest of the staff out in the dining area. As he passed by the flushed waitresses, he said to them, "Enjoy the show?" They all blushed when they discovered they'd been caught.

Kotonoha skipped over and flashed him a brilliant smile which he returned before going over to a table where a group of girls, Otome and her friends, had sat down. They were surprised to see Ryuji actually working in the Radish.

"So, what will it be?" Ryuji asked politely, shocking them.

"Woah, Ryuji," Otome whistled. "You clean up nicely."

"Thanks, Otome," Ryuji nodded. She and Ryuji were on friendly terms now since she was sincere in her apology to Kotonoha. Her three friends (Kumi, Narsumi and Minami), whom he did not care to even learn their names, were still fearful of him. "So, what will it be?" Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of his girlfriend's discomfort. With a curt, "Excuse me," he quickly went over to see some boys messing with her and trying to flip her short skirt.

Everyone watched as he made short work of them and tossed them out. "AND STAY OUT!" Ryuji roared before slamming the door shut.

Youko smiled as she watched her male employee do what he did best. Her girls always complained about customers who were a little 'too friendly' for their taste. At least with Ryuji around they could be kept in line, lest get beaten up and kicked out. Ryuji was the bouncer and waiter of the Radish and the waitresses' knight in shining armor. A true asset to their workplace.

"Guess Mom made the right choice of hiring him," noted Sekai from the counter. Setsuna was sitting there, enjoying a parfait.

"Yes," Setsuna acknowledged.

* * *

"Wow," said Rina and Siera in amazement as they both entered the King's Terminal. Ryuji just thought it was a good idea to bring them here. With him and the princesses was Kotonoha and although she wasn't too pleased with Ryuji's decision, she smiled at the princesses' reaction. This was their first time visiting the Time Train Station after all.

"That was my initial reaction too," said Kotonoha.

"What is this place?" asked Siera.

"The King's Terminal," answered Ryuji. "Also known as the Time Train Station. There are others like it." He explained, "Basically, this is a place where time trains like my DynoLiner can get repaired, maintained, cleaned up, refueled and restocked with supplies."

"That's it?" questioned Rina with an arched eyebrow. She was expecting more.

"Well, not exactly," said Ryuji. "While the staff here is working on the trains, travelers and time train owners can walk around."

"So that people don't get bored while they visit, this place has an amusement park," said Kotonoha.

"Really?" Siera sounded interested.

"And several different types stores and restaurants," added Ryuji.

"Stores?" Rina was interested. "You mean shops and the like?"

"Naturally," nodded Ryuji, having taken Kotonoha shopping here.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rina grabbed Ryuji's left arm. Kotonoha glared and instantly grabbed Ryuji's right arm. "Let's shop till we drop!"

Siera giggled. "Rina, no matter where we go, you love to shop."

"But of course, Cousin Siera," said Rina with a wink. "What else can a girl like me do?"

"By the way, where did you send the kings?" asked Kotonoha.

"They're with Warren," said Ryuji.

* * *

Warren was at a bar in the King's Terminal with the two kings. It was hard to believe that they were loyalty since they didn't act as such, especially now.

King Eustace down an entire glass of beer and smiled. "Now THAT hits the spot!"

"Thank you for bringing us here, Warren," said King Frederick who was drinking small shots. At least he was showing some restraint.

"Yeah, you're welcome," said Warren. At least he could keep these two under control. If King Eustace got too drunk and loud then Warren could just knock him out.

"It's great, just us guys, while our daughters are on a date with their fiancé!" said King Eustace happily.

"My daughter's only 4," corrected Warren. "But your daughters would have fun with Ryuji." Ryuji was capable of being nice…sometimes.

"He is a little temperamental, however," said King Frederick with some concern. "It took him a long time to just accept our daughters as friends."

"Ryuji's got trust issues, so he doesn't let people in that easily," said Warren. "Oh, and by the way, you've both met his mom, right?"

"Yes, a charming woman," spoke King Frederick. "And also a powerful one at that since she owns and runs her own company."

"Not to mention being her Clan's Head," added Eustace.

"Well, with his father being elsewhere (the Celestial Realm), his mother had to take over for the sake of the Hasuma Clan," said Warren, having met with Emiko several times before. "So, what did you talk with her about?"

"Oh, it was about the engagements," said King Frederick. "She was happy to see our daughters showing interest in Ryuji, but…"

"Let me guess," spoke Warren. "She told you about the 'imprint', right?"

King Eustace became depressed and downed his beer once more after it got filled up by the bartender. "Yup," he said. "She told us, because of it, Ryuji will only be with Kotonoha."

"Rina wouldn't be pleased if she found out," said Frederick, frowning.

"True," agreed Warren as he swirled his drink around his glass. "But I guess your daughters have to learn for themselves what it means to love and lose."

"To our daughters!" announced King Eustace as he raised his glass.

"To love!" added King Frederick.

"And to loss," said Warren. "May those girls become stronger because of it all."

"Here, here!"

Clink!

* * *

"What do you think?" said Rina as she posed in a little black dress that went down to mid thigh. It was sleeveless and backless.

"It looks great on you," admitted Ryuji. Kotonoha, not wanting to be upstaged, came out of the changing room with a red Chinese cheongsam, trimmed in gold with a dragon on it, and a slit on the side that exposed her leg.

"What about me, Ryuji-kun?" said Kotonoha flirtatiously. Ryuji blushed.

"Uh…" he was at a loss for words.

Siera too came out in a lovely evening gown. "What about me? How do I look?"

"Well…" Ryuji rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. He then noticed a few young men in the stores staring at the girls and a few looked jealous.

"Good, so can we get these?" said Rina hopefully.

"Rina!" scolded Siera.

"Oh, come on, Siera!" retorted Rina. "It IS the gentleman's job to pay for his ladies' purchases. He has to foot the bill."

Ryuji sighed. At lease he had enough credits saved up from his previous Imagin kills.

* * *

"I am NOT going in there," said Ryuji firmly as they all stood in front of a certain store. He could see what was being sold and wasn't about to set foot inside. It was a lingerie store.

"Oh, come on…" Rina pouted. "You're no fun."

"Don't force him," said Kotonoha, angered by Rina's flirting. "If he doesn't want to come inside, then he shouldn't have to."

Rina gave Kotonoha a challenging smirk. "Oh, so you DON'T wanna show your body off wearing sexy lingerie." Kotonoha blushed.

"Well…"

"Look, you girls can all look around and try out bras, panties or whatever," said Ryuji. "I'll just wait out here."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Rina. "But you'll be missing quite the show."

"I'll live," said Ryuji flatly.

"See you later, Sir Ryuji," said Siera as she went inside with Kotonoha and Rina.

"That was close," said Ryuji as he sighed in relief. "Don't know how much I can take." They'd taken him to a store selling bathing suits. Since they were all going to the beach for summer break, it seemed like a good idea. He looked up at the ceiling. "Kami, what did I do to deserve this?" If he ever got the chance to speak to his future self, he was going to let him have it. Ryuji pocketed his hands and looked over to see an arcade just across from him. "Well, knowing girls, they'll take hours. Might as well go kill some time."

* * *

In the Station Master's office, Ant was having lunch with an elderly gentleman who wore a white captain's uniform. Both were eating fried rice and chatting.

"So, how is your team?" asked the Station Master. He and Ant were old friends.

"Well, they can be a handful," admitted Ant. "But they're good kids."

"I suppose," agreed the Station Master somewhat. "So, is Ryuji Hasuma still part of your group?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't listen to me all that much. He only listens to Warren, but only barely. Why?"

"Keep an eye on the boy," said the Station Master. "He has something very powerful in him."

Ant couldn't agree more. Suddenly, the large monitor in the room came to life to show something big was happening. The Station Master now looked panicked as he stood up. He picked up his microphone and spoke, "Sound the alarm."

* * *

The alarms in the King's Terminal suddenly blared and this caused the people to panic. "What the hell!?" shouted Ryuji as he was carrying the girls' shopping bags. His phone rang and he put the bags down to take out his phone. "What?" he spoke into the phone.

"_Ryuji_," said Ant from the other line. "_Look up at the JumboTron_."

The creature that appeared on the JumboTron had to be the ugliest thing ever seen. It stood on two legs with a blocky torso and no arms. The feet were clawed. Swinging wildly around were mechanical necks that were tipped with wicked looking drills. It was starting to make its way towards the King's Terminal, ready to tear the train station apart with its drills and sheer power.

Ryuji looked grim as he saw the Gigandeath emerge. "Damn, that has got to be the ugliest Gigandeath I've ever seen."

"That's right," agreed Warren as he arrived.

"Warren," said Ryuji.

"Ryuji," spoke Warren who gave his kohai a look that spoke volume. "Let's go."

"Right behind you," said Ryuji as he followed his senior. They were running to the platforms where the DynoLiner and ChronoLiner were docked. The girls watched them leave.

"Be careful!" the three girls called out.

"Henshin!" Ryuji called out as he swiped his pass over the buckle.

"**MAMMOTH FORM!**"

"Shatter!" called out Warren, activating his Skull Rider Wraith suit.

Once at the platforms, the two Riders entered their trains. Ifrit took hold of the DynoLiner's controls as Wraith did the same inside the ChronoLiner. As soon as he activated the ChronoLiner, it transformed into Wraith Mode.

"Ikuze!" shouted Ifrit as he dashed forward on his train. The ChronoLiner sped out as well into the Sands of Time.

Once there, they could see the mechanical Gigandeath. It was bigger than expected, towering over the two trains and big enough to crush the King's Terminal. Ifrit suspected someone had sent it, someone with the name Nanimo. "Kuso…" Ifrit swore under his breath. He entered the attack commands and his train sped forward.

"Ryuji, wait!" called out Wraith but if Ifrit had heard him, he didn't show it. "Damn it."

The DynoLiner started to fire with its weapons. Ice cannon blasts, energy bolts, lasers and flames all struck the tri-drilled Gigandeath but the attacks didn't even seem to affect it. However, the attacks did get it to notice the DynoLiner and it struck with its drills.

Bombs and missile exploded upon the Gigandeath and it scrambled backwards. Wraith called, "Ryuji, don't get too hotheaded. We're a team, let's do it as a team!"

Ifrit was about to snap that he didn't need help but quieted down. Wraith was right. "OK, together."

"On my signal…" began Warren as the creature started to come forward. "NOW!"

The two trains fired their entire salvo of weapons, hoping to destroy the massive mechanical monstrosity. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to penetrate its tough metal hide.

"Damn it!" cursed Ifrit. "What now?"

"Ryuji! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Wraith warned but he was too late as the drills struck the DynoLiner in the side and sent it skidding across the sand. "KOHAI!"

"I'm fine!" Ifrit relayed, weakly.

"Damn, this thing's tough," muttered Wraith.

"But we can't let it get to the station," said Ifrit. There had to be a way to stop that thing and that was when Ifrit got the idea. "Warren, remember that other combination we tried out?"

"Yes," nodded Wraith, remembering what Ifrit meant. "I do. If separate we can't beat it, then maybe together we can."

"Then let's do it!" commanded Ifrit, accepting Wraith's statement as an affirmative.

"OK, kiddo," replied Wraith. "Let's go with your plan."

"Ikuze!" shouted Ifrit. Ifrit entered the command sequence before shouting out, "DynoLiner and ChronoLiner, CHO GATTAI!"

"CHO GATTAI!" repeated Wraith as he too entered the command sequence.

The DynoLiner and ChronoLiner sped along each other before breaking apart into their separate train cars. With the Mammoth in the lead, the Bomber-3 and Missile-2 linked up to Cannon's sides. The front of the Cannon-1 and the back of the Mammoth connected via clamps. The laser turrets of the ChronoLiner Cannon-1 revealed themselves. The Tyrano roared at the Mammoth's left before connecting itself to the side of the steam engine while the Tricera bellowed and connected itself to the right side. The Jet-4, while not part of the combination, released the jet inside it which connected to the top of the Mammoth.

The four Rescue Cars came out of their individual portals and combined with the Liners. The Fire-5 jumped up and set itself upon Bomber-3 as the Submarine-8 joined atop the Missile-2. The Digger-7 and Gyro-6 also combined, with the drill tank coming up in front of the Mammoth and joined together by clamps. The helicopter-like car hovered down and then attached itself upon the top of the Cannon-1.

"Dyno-Chrono Formation!" called out Ifrit. Mammoth trumpeted, Tyrano roared and Tricera bellowed.

"GOD-STRIKELINER!" the two Kamen Riders called out, "COMBINATION COMPLETE!"

* * *

"Sugoi," said Kotonoha in amazement as she watched the JumboTron with Siera and Rina. Everyone in the station was watching.

"Wow, they combined," said Rina.

"Ryuji! Sensei! Gambatte!" Siera cheered.

* * *

Now united and powers combined, the DynoLiner and ChronoLiner – NOW the God-StrikeLiner – renewed their attack, blasting the Gigandeath with whatever weapons they got. The ice cannon managed to freeze the feet of the monster to the ground as lasers, flames, energy bolts, missiles, and cannon fire struck it mercilessly.

The Gigandeath Tri-Drill tried to launch a counterattack and struck with its three drills, but with two pilots instead of one maneuvering the combined vehicle, the God-StrikeLiner was able to avoid the drills that struck the ground.

"OK, time to finish it!" said Ifrit. "TYRANO! TRICERA!" roared Ifrit as he sent his two saurian trains at the mechanical monstrosity. "TAKE A BITE!" The two trains roared and bellowed as they jumped up and snapped their jaws down on two of the neck. The Mecha Gigandeath thrashed around, but it was futile as both trains held on firmly.

"Launch Fire-5 and Submarine-8!" shouted Wraith as he released the combination too, sending both Rescue Cars flying like missiles with their own artillery firing upon the giant Mecha Gigandeath. The two train cars exploded impressively on impact, causing heavy damage upon the mechanical monstrosity. Two of the drills were destroyed as a result and yet the Tricera and Tyrano still held on firmly to the damaged limbs.

Once the two Rescue Cars were launched, the ChronoLiner Cannon-1, Missile-2 and Bomber-3 cars released their own ammunition, pelting the robo-monster with laser fire, missiles and bombs as the God-StrikeLiner raced around it. The thing tried to strike back with its lone undamaged drill but then the Gyro-6 was launched and the rotor blades cut through the segment which held the drill-bit in place. The limb, however, swung down and crushed the Gyro-6 beneath it, destroying the helicopter completely.

"Ryuji! Finish it!" called Wraith.

"OK!" Ifrit spoke to Ant through the com-link, "Ant, requesting permission to use the kamikaze attack!"

* * *

Ant received the request and sighed. The Station Master spoke, "It looks like he's waiting for you to make the call."

"At least he's asking for permission now," replied Ant. He said to Ifrit through the communicator, "Approved! Finish it now!"

* * *

"Roger! LET'S END IT!!! TIME TO GO EXTINCT!!!" roared Ifrit as he sent the combined trains flying with the Digger-6's drill spinning rapidly. "COMPLETE EXTINCTION! KAMIKAZE ATTACK!!!"

"ATTACK!!!" yelled out Wraith.

The God-StrikeLiner smashed right through, the drill burrowing deeply into the bi-pedaled mechanical beast's torso.

* * *

Back at the King's Terminal, all eyes were on the JumboTron. Things were very tense as Kotonoha, Siera and Rina were all praying hard for Ifrit.

* * *

The entire robo-beast exploded into nothing but scrap metal as it sent the trains flying away. The DynoLiner Mammoth, Tyrano and Tricera all skidded along the desert ground on their sides. Though heavily damaged, they seemed fine for the most part. The ChronoLiner Cannon-1 was, however, the only other train car that survived.

* * *

The JumboTron at the King's Terminal showed static for a few seconds. The girls were praying to whatever deities they knew, hoping for the best. When the JumboTron came back on to show the damaged trains, they feared the worst, but then when Ifrit and Wraith's faces were displayed. Ryuji could only grin as he removed his helmet and gave a thumbs up. Even Warren was grinning from ear to ear in his damaged cockpit as he did a V sign.

Announcing simultaneously, both pilots shouted, "_MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!_"

"YATTA!!!" Kotonoha, Siera and Rina cheered. The other people also cheered. "THEY DID IT!" The girls went into a group hug and hopped around happily.

* * *

The Station Master nodded approvingly. "Looks like you have very capable subordinates."

"Yeah…" Ant frowned wryly. "But did they _really_ have to sacrifice all those train cars to prove it?"

* * *


	30. Final Days: Part 1

"This…is going to be expensive," said Ant is dismay as he saw what remained of his precious ChronoLiner. The only combat equipped cars that survived the Gigandeath Tri-Drill were the Cannon-1 and Jet-4, since the Missile-2 and Bomber-3 had been sacrificed to defeat the Gigandeath. Not only that, but all four Rescue Cars were nothing but scrap now. "And you both will be footing the bill." He sent a pointed glare at both Ryuji and Warren.

"Hey, I asked for permission and you said yes," Ryuji pointed out.

"That's true," agreed Warren. "You could've said 'no' to Ryuji's crazy plan."

Ant rubbed his temples. They were right, unfortunately, but he didn't have to like it. "Yes, I know, but in order to protect the station it was a call I had to make. In any case, the ChronoLiner and DynoLiner are gonna need A LOT of repairs."

Speaking of the DynoLiner, Ryuji looked regretful as he saw them being repaired. All three ancient train cars looked beat up and it was only by a miracle that they hadn't been reduced to scrap metal. They would be working after a while, but for now he was stuck in the King's Terminal until they were operational.

"And don't forget that the Rescue Cars are gonna need rebuilding as well," reminded Ant, scolding the two members of his ChronoLiner Riders. "They weren't cheap to make in the first place."

"Hai, hai…" responded Ryuji with a lazy nod. "Do you mind wrapping this up? Koto-chan is probably waiting for me and worried about me too."

"Fine," huffed Ant. "Go, we'll talk about this later."

As Ryuji turned and left, Ant whispered to Warren, "The Station Master warned me about Ryuji. He told me that Ryuji has something inside of him that's growing stronger and if not properly controlled could turn bad. I want you to watch him since you're the closest to him."

"I got it," obeyed Warren.

* * *

"**FINAL DAYS: Part 1"**

* * *

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"This is it! Time for extinction!" roared Ifrit Mammoth Form as he threw his arm out, palm open, and sent a blast of frost energy at the fleeing Imagin. At the same time his belt sent energy travelling from it in a zigzag pattern as it went into his axe which glowed bright red. With the enemy monster completely immobilised, the Rider marched over and then with a shout raised his axe and swung it down, hard, chopping the Imagin completely straight down the middle into two cleanly cut halves. As a result, both halves shattered and exploded into flying ice fragments. The Imagin was dead now thanks to Ifrit. Before anyone could come and approach and question him, his train flew out of a portal and picked him up before speeding away into an exit portal.

In his train, Ifrit removed his armor as he ran his hand through his hair. "Damn, I'm late," he muttered. The Imagin alert had occurred while he was on his way to school and he was probably late unless he took advantage of his train which could travel through time.

The Imagin he'd just defeated had travelled to 5th of July 2000 after granting its contractor's wish. Ryuji didn't really care about the wish made. His job was mainly to stop the Imagin from changing the timeline.

In the present it was just two more weeks until school was let out for summer vacation. Ryuji Hasuma was looking forward to spending the entire summer vacation with Kotonoha. It meant he wouldn't have to do much but relax. Well, there was his job at Radish, not to mention the piles of summer homework, but with Kotonoha's help he would be able to do all that and still have fun.

The beach was definitely the place to go for summer break and Ryuji wanted to see his fiancée sporting a strikingly beautiful swimsuit that showed off her figure.

Once at the school, the DynoLiner dropped him off on the rooftop. Luckily for him no one had seen him but he still scanned the area to make sure. With his sharp eyes and ears he could detect if anybody had spied on him. Of course, sometimes he would tune everything out and not pay attention at all.

Imagin attacks were rare and less frequent nowadays and the young Kamen Rider was grateful for the down time. As much as he enjoyed fighting, he enjoyed spending time with his Koto-chan the most. Just enjoying some alone time with her was rare because of the Imagin attacks and not to mention the other challenges they had to face, midterm and final exams being some of them.

Ryuji's problems, however, were more of the romantic variety than academic. He cared little for schoolwork and had to be urged to do it by Kotonoha. He'd proposed to her but then he got two new engagements that were dropped right in his lap all because of something he did in the future. Unfortunately, he had no way of breaking the engagements presently, but he was determined to figure a way out. Kotonoha would be the only girl he would marry. While Siera and Rina were good friends, he had no feelings for them beyond friendship. It just got a little annoying and frustrating when their fathers, the Kings of the Demon and God Kingdoms, tried to pressure him into marrying the princesses. They were a nuisance, really.

Ryuji walked down the steps and then exited into the hallway. As he was walking along the hallway, he took notice of some of the stares he was getting. Most of the boys viewed him with a degree of fear and even envy. The girls, however, were checking him out. Despite his bad reputation, some girls did like 'bad boys' or delinquents. Ryuji was labelled as a delinquent because of his tendency to get into fights. He was only fortunate to have Warren, who was his teacher and friend, to stick up for him in his defence.

Most of the fights Ryuji were involved in on school grounds were instigated by the KLLA, SSSS and LLRB, three mobs of groupies who would attack him at the gate as he arrived or when he left. They idolised Kotonoha, Siera and Rina, respectively, and attempted to either drive him away, or see if he was worthy of any of them. Either way it led to them attacking him as a group and being beaten as a group. Ryuji barely broke a sweat whenever he beat them and always sent them to the hospital. It was all in self defence, really, but he was blamed for being the cause of the fights nonetheless.

Sometimes he wondered why he even put up with school.

He entered the classroom and found Kotonoha, Rina and Siera waiting for him. He smiled at them. At least seeing Kotonoha would brighten his day but he always saw her since he was staying at her place. He had been invited and he willingly stayed to keep her and her sister safe from harm.

When he first started coming to this school, he didn't have many friends save for his teammates, the ChronoLiner Riders. After he decided to stay, he remained friendless with only Kotonoha as his closest companion. Slowly, however, he began to gain friends in Sekai Saionji, Hikari Kuroda, Nanami Kanroji, Setsuna Kiyoura, and even Otome Katou. He hadn't been interested in befriending them but they all saw a side of him that only Kotonoha had seen originally. As for Makoto Itou and Taisuke Sawanaga, he only (barely) tolerated them for the sake of his Koto-chan and nothing more. Both boys were frightened of his temper and cautious when around him.

The real friends he had in the school were Vash Miyata and Kenzaki Tsukuba, not to mention Warren Smith. He also had siblings attending. They were Neko and Kat Hasuma, identical twins save for eye color which helped people tell them apart.

Though he didn't have many friends, and the ones he cherished were small in number, he was content with his life here.

The only real insecurities he had were because of his inhuman status. He was an Orphenoch, a monster wearing a human form as a disguise. He possessed abilities no other human possessed and also enhanced abilities as well. He also had a true form but he only used it in emergencies. He much rather fight as a Rider than an Orphenoch any day of the week.

Most recently, however, Ryuji had been having foreboding feelings of something huge that was about to happen that would most likely have world changing consequences. All he needed to do was to be prepared for whatever it was that was about to come. He just hoped he would survive and come out of it stronger.

* * *

Ryuji drummed his finger against the top of his desk in boredom, his other hand supporting his head with the elbow on the desk too. He grumbled, "We've done our final exams. Why do we have to come even on the last two weeks of school?"

"Because we have to settle a few things before school lets out for summer break," reminded Kotonoha.

"I know, I know…" sighed Ryuji. "But it's SO boring!" She gently laid her hand on his and smiled.

"Just endure it for a few more days, OK, Ryuji-kun?" she said soothingly. "Then we have the whole summer to spend together. I know you've been looking forward to it."

"Yeah…" Ryuji replied calmly.

"How about we make a short stop at the library during lunch?" asked Kotonoha. "I need to return a few books I borrowed a couple of weeks back."

"Sure," he said to her. Maybe there would be something interesting to read in there.

* * *

At lunch, Kotonoha and Ryuji entered the library. This time all eyes weren't focused on him anymore since the first time he set foot in here. The school library was definitely huge with a large selection of books for every genre, ranging from fiction, non-fiction, leisure and academic.

Kotonoha would often come here to read. She always put on a pair of reading glasses which made her look cute and sat down to read one of the books she'd chosen off the shelf. He would catch her reading something like a romance novel and she would blush and tell him that it was only out of interest and nothing too serious. She'd never gotten off the habit of reading such things since her life could be written as a romance novel.

"Anything interesting you're looking for?" Kotonoha asked.

"Maybe," Ryuji shrugged. "I wonder if the updated their collection since last time."

"Well, new books coming in are rare, but we can check. Let's go to the counter."

Yuuki Ashikaga, a short boy in their year but in Class 2-1, was manning the counter. When he saw Kotonoha approaching, his heart skipped a beat and his cheeks turned pink. He greeted the girl, politely, "Good afternoon, Katsura-san."

"Good afternoon to you too, Ashikaga-san," she smiled demurely. Yuuki enjoyed seeing that smile but then he froze when he saw who she had for company.

Yuuki had short brown hair and wore glasses over his face. He had a slim build and was unimpressive. Also, his height wasn't much to say. He was a few inches shorter than some of the girls in his class. His appearance was that of a typical nerd and with his interests being reading and playing MMORPG's he fit the stereotype. He was also quiet and shy, something his older sister, Chie, was trying to change.

Yuuki also had a crush on Kotonoha but never acted upon it, merely satisfying himself by watching her from afar. The only conversations they had were impersonal as she came over to the library to check out, return or ask about any new books. Besides, why would she be interested in a little guy like him when she had a big and strong boyfriend like Ryuji that could protect her? Still, he wondered for himself what could've been between him and this lovely girl.

"Is there anything new?" asked Kotonoha.

"No, nothing new," said Yuuki.

"Oh, well, then I would like to return these books," said Kotonoha as she handed him three books for him to reshelf.

"Thank you," replied Yuuki.

* * *

_I am Yuuki Ashikaga and appearance-wise I am strictly unremarkable. I'm not very tall, with short brown hair, and I wear glasses; the typical appearance of a nerd or bookworm._

_As a member of the book club, I was always assisting the school librarian by arranging the books, tidying up the library, and helping out the students who frequently come to check out or return books. Ever since I started school here, there's always been one good thing that I always looked forward to._

_Kotonoha Katsura, the most beautiful girl in the world. _

_Sigh…_

_She always came by to the library whenever she had free time to read and I would always watch her from afar. I could never strike up the nerve to talk to her. It was impossible for me to earn her attention, much less her affection, so I just continued to watch her._

_Great, now I sound like a stalker._

_A good friend of mine, who is also my sempai, is Kyouchi Kasannoin. He's dating Nanami Kanroji, one of the members of the women's basketball team and the tallest girl I've ever met. We're well acquainted. Whenever I need advice I could always trust Kyouchi-sempai to give it to me since he has more experience than I. Unfortunately, I never told him of Katsura-san._

_From watching her, I always noted how she was always alone and didn't even have any friends. I wanted to be that friend to her but I never got up the nerve. The few times she's spoken to me were only when she needed some assistance in the library. Impersonal, but I was happy to listen to her voice and to oblige with her request._

_This was how it was during my first term here._

_During the second term, some time after summer vacation, I found out she as dating Makoto Itou and that I actually lost my chance. Still, I was glad that she would still come to the library to read. The only regret I had was if I had only acted sooner._

_Then I saw her at the festival and instead of Itou-san, she was dancing with Ryuji Hasuma, one of the new students who'd transferred into school not so long ago. What happened to Itou-san? Well, Itou-san was dancing with a girl who I recalled was named Sekai Saionji since I did stop by at their class' café to have some cake. Wonder what happened between him and Katsura-san._

_My heart actually broke when I saw Katsura-san and Hasuma-san dance right before they kissed. I was happy for her, though, but I wished it was me she was dancing with instead of him._

_If only I was braver and more daring._

_Over the next few months Hasuma-san gained himself a bad reputation. Most of the student body was frightened of him due to rumours about him being a member of a gang. He did seem like the type but I never judged unless I had proof. What I could see was that he had a bad temper and he'd been responsible for beating up a student during the last night of the festival._

_How in the world did Katsura-san end up with someone like him was a mystery to me._

_Now, I am in my 2__nd__ year and still pining over Katsura-san. She didn't stop by as often as before and when she did she always had Hasuma-san with her. I never got the chance to speak with her whenever he was around. I heard he even knocked someone out for even looking at Katsura-san funny. He must be the overprotective and jealous type._

_I also witnessed the formation of the KLLA and watched as they, despite being outmatched, tried to force Hasuma-san to break up with Kotonoha. Unfortunately, their attempts always met with failure as Hasuma-san was the better fighter. I even witnessed him stand victorious despite being completely outnumbered 40 to 1. It just didn't make sense to me for someone to win against those odds. In the MMORPG's I play on the internet, no matter how high your level was, an entire army could still kill you by cutting down your HP's bit by bit. From what I could tell, Hasuma-san was fast, inhumanly so, and able to dodge and attack like lightning. It was insane._

_I once heard a rumor that he once turned into a monster but I rejected it as a rumor and nothing more._

_Still, it was just confusing to me as to how Hasuma-san and Katsura-san could remain a couple despite being so different. It didn't make sense._

_Whenever I saw them in the library, Katsura-san would encourage Hasuma-san to pick a book and read. From what I could tell he would always go for the books which had a lot of action and adventure in them. It fit his style, but I noticed he fidgeted a lot, like he would rather be elsewhere. Guess he didn't enjoy books all that much like Katsura-san. Of course, he never vocally complained and sat next to Katsura-san to read. _

_The answer then came to me one night after I thought about it long and hard. _

_They were in love. It was so obvious. That was the only logical conclusion._

_I just wished I was the one she was in love with, though._

_Also, things started to change a whole lot around December when a superhero, an actual superhero, made his presence known. Back when I was a kid, I've always dreamed of meeting an honest for goodness superhero but that dream died when I grew up. It was just a fantasy…until Kamen Rider Ifrit showed up._

_It was crazy! When I first saw him on the news I thought he was just an actor performing a publicity stunt for a new TV show or something, but then I realised he was real and so were the monsters he fought. The only time I ever saw monster was in the MMORPG's I played and some fantasy novels. Monsters weren't supposed to be real and neither were superheroes, but Ifrit was real, and a real hero in my books._

_Not only did he fight these monsters, but he risked his very life to protect this city. I never knew anyone could be so brave and noble, but he did it without asking for a single reward._

_I wondered about his origins. Was he an alien or a secret government project designed to combat these strange monster? Or was he something else entirely? The weapons he used were completely out of this world. The question on my mind was why trains? Alright, the trains were equipped with powerful weapons and could fly but who designed them? How were they built? How did they work?_

_And, why did he switch trains? It was around the middle of the first term when he switched his bullet train for those dinosaur-themed ones. Well, a mammoth wasn't a dinosaur, but the other two were. The mammoth-like train was a steam engine instead o a bullet train. Also, his armor had changed. Why did he do that? Well, if it made him stronger, who was I to judge? Still…_

_Kamen Rider Ifrit was a mystery._

_Also, other heroes who called themselves Kamen Riders started to show up after Ifrit. They went by the names Garoh, Ryukendo__**,**__ Wraith and CopyKat. A few other Riders that showed up, like those red and green ones, never came back. Even the one named Fang that showed up with that dragon never returned._

_Who were the Kamen Riders?_

_I sound like a fanboy, don't I? Well, I wouldn't call myself that exactly, but I do come close. I was an admirer. I had posters up on the wall in my room of the Kamen Riders, especially Ifrit. He was the first I ever saw, and the first real superhero of them all._

_I do of course wonder who he really was, though. That helmet didn't give any hints and even his voice was rarely heard. He only showed up when one of those monsters appeared and left as soon as it was defeated. He never stayed longer than he should._

_I recently started a website, a blog really, about the Kamen Riders and encouraged others to send in anything that was connected to the Riders. I got a lot of positive responses and the site is growing. Unfortunately, I never came close to discovering the Kamen Riders' secret identities._

_My older sister, Chie, kept telling me to give up on this obsession and focus on something else. I wasn't obsessed! I was just dedicated to uncovering a great mystery. I wanted to know where these monsters came from and who the Riders were. Of course, she kept telling me I was obsessed and a boy my age should obsess over girls._

_If only she knew of Katsura-san. I was still attracted to her and still interested in actually being more than a mere acquaintance with her. If only I had the confidence and courage like the Kamen Riders._

_If only…_

_Well, right now I'm online and looking through the entries and comments people had sent to my website and blog. I wonder what's new._

_Sometimes I wished I was a Kamen Rider too._

_But that's impossible, right?_

* * *

Ryuji's eyes went over to the magazine and newspaper rack and he frowned slightly as he saw ANOTHER news report of the Kamen Riders on the front page of today's paper. They were, even now, still big news. Yuuki noted how Ryuji was staring at the newspaper and decided to strike up a conversation. Despite his earlier fears, Ryuji would only attack if provoked and Yuuki wasn't dumb enough to do such a thing.

Kotonoha had gone to the bookshelves to find something to read, leaving Ryuji at the counter with Yuuki.

"So…are you interested in the Kamen Riders, Hasuma-san?" asked Yuuki.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, a little," replied Ryuji absently. He wasn't really paying attention to the conversation as he was keeping his eyes and ears trained on Kotonoha.

"They are big heroes," spoke Yuuki.

"Which one is your favourite?" asked Ryuji.

"Oh, Ifrit of course. He's the first one to appear, right?" Ryuji visibly grimaced and Yuuki noticed this. "Is something wrong?"

"Why do people admire masked heroes so much?" questioned Ryuji. "I mean you can't really tell who they are and what their motivations are."

"Well, the Kamen Riders do protect the innocent," reasoned Yuuki.

"What if Ifrit was being paid to fight these monsters?" asked Ryuji. "Then what would you think?"

"I would think that he deserved it," stated Yuuki. Ryuji smiled slightly. "I mean he risks himself every time he goes and fights. He deserves some sort of compensation."

"What's your name, kid?" Ryuji asked.

"Yuuki Ashikaga."

"Ryuji Hasuma," Ryuji introduced himself, "But I guess you know that, huh?"

"Well, who in this school doesn't know that name?" Yuuki asked rhetorically. "You're pretty famous…"

Ryuji snorted and corrected, "Infamous, more like it. I'm labelled as a delinquent for a reason."

"Well, as far as I can tell, you would be considered misunderstood."

"That's because you don't know me well enough, yet."

* * *

A pair of identical twins with light brown and chin length hair were being harassed by some unsavory types on their way back home from school. They were in their last year of junior high and were just minding their own business when these street punks showed up. The twins wore different colored hair bands to distinguish themselves from one another. One wore orange while the other wore red.

"Aw, come on, babe," grinned one of the punks who had breath as bad as his teeth, _trying_ to be charming.

The other punk, who had a gut and nose ring, leered at both girls, "We'll have lots of _fun_." Of course their idea of fun wouldn't be the same as the twins.

Kuzuha, the one with the red hair band, stood defensively in front of her younger twin sister and glared as Futuba, the one with the orange hair band, stood nervously behind her older twin sister.

"Sorry, but not interested," said Kuzuha. However, she was roughly grabbed by the wrist. "Hey, leggo!"

"Oh, she's a feisty one!" Bad Teeth chuckled.

"Wonder if she's a screamer in bed too," said Nose Ring.

"Hey, maybe we can do 'em both!"

Futuba didn't like how they were talking.

Of course, these punks wouldn't be talking anymore when a fist came flying and smashed itself into Nose Ring's face, sending him dropping to the ground.

"What the-!" shouted Bad Teeth as he got a foot buried in his face, hard, with the impact of a cannonball. He too went down, hard. Futuba and Kuzuha looked to see who'd saved them and blushed. Their saviours were both high school teen boys and while they looked like punks, neither girl could sense anything bad about them. The first teen had long black and wild hair that came down to his waist with cold blue eyes. His companion was slightly taller than six feet with short, spikysilver hair, normal skin tone and appeared to be Asian descent with his left red eye having a scar going over it and a right blue eye. Both were wearing white short sleeved shirts and had backpacks. The one with silver hair did wear gloves, of course.

"Hey, Kenzaki," said Ryuji as he flicked his wrist. "Good kick there."

"Nice haymaker," Kenzaki returned the compliment.

Ryuji took notice of the girls and his hard eyes softened. "Hey, are you girls OK?"

"We're fine," said Kuzuha. "Thanks for saving us."

* * *

_OMG!!! Who were these hot guys? They came out of nowhere and saved Futuba and me. I have to know who they are. I just gotta!_

* * *

"No problem," said Kenzaki. "It's what we do."

"What are your names?" asked Futuba shyly.

"I'm Ryuji, and my friend here is Kenzaki," introduced Ryuji. Kenzaki nodded in acknowledgement.

* * *

_Ryuji-sempai and Kenzaki-sempai. I sure hope Kuzuha-neechan and I get to go to the same high school as them one day…_

* * *

"I'm Kuzuha, and this is my twin sister Futuba."

"Yeah, it's obvious," stated Kenzaki.

Kuzuha blushed as she stared at him before averting her eyes. She then took her sister's hand and said hastily, "Well, we gotta get home now! Hope to see you two again!"

Ryuji watched the twins go and smiled. "Hey, Kenzaki. We better hurry to the Radish or else Youko-san might fire us."

"Race ya there?" challenged Kenzaki.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

"Okaeri nasai, Goshujin-sama!" greeted Kotonoha and, surprisingly, Neko as soon as Ryuji and Kenzaki entered. They were now wearing different uniforms, resembling the outfits of maids but with shorter skirts and short puffy sleeves. They also wore fake cat ears with matching tails and were lifting up one leg behind them.

Kenzaki and Ryuji could only stare at what could be suspected as Youko Saionji's attempt at drawing in more customers.

The cat ears and tails, of course, were a dead giveaway as to who'd given her the idea. At one table, Kenzaki could see Kat drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Youko.

"Koto-chan?" Ryuji blinked as she looked Kotonoha up and down. She raised her tray up to her nose and blushed bashfully.

"Goshujin-sama, don't stare at me like that!" she squealed. Ryuji scanned the place and saw the rest of the waitresses dressed the same way and a few were serving the customers more intimately like sitting in their laps and feeding them. Well, they did it for the males, of course.

"Neko?" Kenzaki stared at his fiancée. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Kotonoha-chan and Sekai-chan both convinced me," said Neko. "What do you think?" She did a twirl in her outfit. Kenzaki had to grasp his nose to keep from getting a nosebleed. The skirt had pulled up slightly to reveal the white panties beneath.

Sekai walked over and pulled at Ryuji. She didn't seem to look happy at what she was forced to wear. "Ryuji..." she groaned.

"I like the ears," he told the girl in a teasing tone. He was just being friendly and annoying at the same time.

"As skimpy as the original uniform was," began Sekai. "At least it didn't have any gimmicks." She pointed to the cat ears she was wearing on her head. "Catgirl Maids?"

Kenzaki jerked a thumb over at Kat. "With that lunatic, did you expect anything less?" asked Kenzaki.

"Actually, catgirl maids are a little tame, even for her," reasoned Ryuji. At least the new uniforms didn't expose as much as the original. "At least she didn't have them all wear bunny outfits."

"Good point," agreed Kenzaki but he briefly pictured Neko in Playboy Bunny costume and grinned goofily.

Ryuji scanned the restaurant and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Siera and Rina there too. "Siera and Rina?"

"Oh, they wanted to try being waitresses," answered Kotonoha. "I guess they're trying to spend more time with you." She didn't like having Rina and Siera too close to HER man.

"Well, that makes sense since they are your fiancées," stated Kenzaki.

Siera and Rina took notice of Ryuji and waved, smiling. While Siera was smiling tenderly, Rina was smiling sultrily with lidded eyes and a grin that was supposed to be enticing. Ryuji wasn't buying it.

"Come on, Kenzaki, let's get changed," said Ryuji as he led Kenzaki to the locker room. Hopefully, their uniforms hadn't been changed…

No such luck. Once they opened their lockers, they saw the vest had been replaced by ones that were white with black stripes. Not only that, there were fake cat ears and even a fake cat's tail that could be clipped onto their belts. Kenzaki gave Ryuji a deadpan look but the DynoLiner's Rider just sighed before getting changed.

Once they were done, they exited, and Kat chuckled as she saw that the two were ACTUALLY wearing the new additions. "Lookin' good, you two!"

Kenzaki wanted to snap at Kat but endured her teasing. She wasn't being malicious so he had no reason to yell at her.

"Aw…Ken-kun you look so kawaii…" purred Neko. Kenzaki blushed. He did look cute with the black tipped white cat ears and black and white striped tail.

"I prefer being a wolf over a cat," said Kenzaki, trying and failing to hide his blush.

"Ryuji-kun, you look cute too," added Kotonoha. Ryuji just hoped nobody from school saw him like this. He was wearing black cat ears and a matching tail.

"Well, don't get used to it," grumbled Ryuji. "I'm gonna get Kat to change things back if it's the last thing I do."

"Worried about your reputation?" Kenzaki questioned.

"Aren't you worried about yours?" retorted Ryuji.

"Hey, this is a part time job. I can always get my street cred back later," Kenzaki shrugged.

"Whatever…" Ryuji rolled his eyes. The cat ears and tails just made him look cute and amped down his intimidation factor. "Let's just do our work."

"If we gotta do it, so do you," said Sekai.

Ryuji muttered, "Doesn't mean I gotta like it." He was wishing for an Imagin to attack right now. If it got him out of work it was a welcomed distraction.

The shift started out easily enough. Because of how the girls were acting, the male customers were behaving themselves. That and Ryuji and Kenzaki had developed a firmly established reputation at the Radish. Any guy that got too fresh with the girls ended up on the wrong end of a serious beating. Kenzaki had just finished taking an order when his hearing caught something. He turned to see Neko taking an order from a group of college guys, about three of them. He could see her jump as one guy's hand found its way up her skirt, groping her behind. He started to slowly make his way over to them.

The guy had his arm wrapped around Neko's waist as he pulled her onto his lap. "Hey baby, how bout you ditch this place and come hang with us? We promise to make it worth your while," said the guy in a bad attempt to be smooth. Neko was tempted to fight back, but Youko had hired her under the understanding that any guy that got out of hand was to be handled by Kenzaki or Ryuji.

"Sorry, but I'm already taken," said Neko as she flashed her engagement ring.

"I don't see him anywhere," chuckled the guy, unaware of Kenzaki's approach. "Besides, I bet we can make you purr…" The man lifted up his hand and roughly grabbed Neko's breast, eliciting a hiss from the girl.

Neko was about to act when a gloved hand grasped firmly onto the man's wrist, pulling it away from his fiancée. "Neko, could you please cover my tables for a minute?" asked Kenzaki.

"Hai, Ken-kun," answered Neko as she got away from the guys.

"You guys. Outside. Now," challenged Kenzaki. The group of them followed Kenzaki outside.

Kat watched in appreciation and respect at Kenzaki's actions. If he hadn't done anything, she would. He was clearly proving how good of a fiancé he was to her sister.

* * *

After their shift had ended, Ryuji, Kotonoha, Siera and Rina were ready to go back home when all of a sudden Ryuji's watch beeped. He apologized, "Sorry, girls, but I gotta take this call." They knew what he meant by that and watched him as he ran off to the source of the disturbance.

He came across a man lying on the ground with an Imagin standing over him. The Imagin was based on a mosquito and once it announced, "Contract Complete!" it opened a portal to the past by opening the man like a door and slipping inside.

"Oi!" shouted Ryuji as he ran over and then knelt down. He took out a ticket and held it over the man's head. The date and the Imagin's image appeared on the ticker.

"6th October 2004," Ryuji read. He stood up and slung his belt around his waist before activating it with the Dyno Pass. "Henshin!"

Instantly, his Plat Form armor formed over his body. He flicked his wrists and popped his neck from side to side as his DynoLiner sped out of its portal and picked him up for a trip to the past.

* * *

"Let's have a party!" suggested Rina without a second thought. They were in front of Kotonoha's house.

"A party?" questioned Kotonoha as she got out her keys. "Didn't we have one already?"

"Yeah, but that was to celebrate our exam results. This time we're celebrating the end of the term," said Rina excitedly. "We'll get snacks, some drinks and maybe even sing some karaoke! It'll be fun!"

"I guess so," Kotonoha reluctantly agreed.

Siera's eyes were on the sky as she asked, "When will Sir Ryuji be back?"

"Oh, relax," said Rina. "He's strong. Whatever he's fighting can't be that tough, right?"

* * *

Ifrit was sent tumbling by a rather vicious attack from the Mosquito Imagin. Its thin arms sure didn't reflect the power it held as it used a pair of swords resembling insect wings. It had a black body with white stripes and a long nose with a sharp tip, typical of most mosquitoes. Large, red and evil looking insectoid eyes stared back at the Rider who was trying to pick himself up from the ground.

Ifrit was still in his unimpressive Plat Form. His Dyno Pass had been knocked out of his hand earlier before he could initiate a Form Switch to another more combat suitable. Right now he was regretting his decision of coming into battle in Plat Form. He wanted to make a flashy entrance but was now in danger of losing his life.

The Mosquito Imagin buzzed, "Looks like all that hype was just hot air." Inhaling deeply, it then exhaled and fired a barrage of explosive needles. Ifrit howled in pain from the barrage and dropped onto his knees, his armor smoking. "Heh, looks like it's time to finish you off."

"Kuso…" Ifrit cursed weakly but then saw that his Pass was just within arm's reach. Acting quickly, he grabbed the Dyno Pass and rolled out of the way as the Mosquito Imagin brought down his blade. The Imagin sneered as it glared at Ifrit who just got his second wind. Rising back to his feet, Ifrit's eyes narrowed under his helmet.

"Looks like you still got some fight in you," the Imagin spoke.

"A lot more than you know," countered Ifrit as he reached down to his buttons. He pressed the black one and the belt released the roar of a feral beast. Then, he pressed the red one under it, causing a trumpeting sound to come from his belt. After that he pressed the white one under it to release the sound of a roaring thunder lizard. Finally, he pressed the blue one, releasing the large bellow of a tri-horned creature of a time long passed. The symbol in his buckle shifted colors each time and then started to release a new tone which was a mixture of all four previous sounds. The jaws of the belt buckle opened up and Ifrit brought down his Pass, putting it in between the golden teeth that framed the buckle and it clamped down. The 'X' on the pass glowed as the belt spoke.

"**DYNO FORM!**" the belt called out.

In flashes of light, additional armor pieces appeared around him and spun around before attaching to hi body. The first to attach was the chest armor of his Mammoth Form. Next the shoulder pads of his Tricera and Tyrano Forms equipped themselves to him, the left shoulder sporting a triceratops head as the right shoulder gained a T-Rex head. A black cape hung down from his back as his gauntlets and boots turned black with golden rings around the ankles and wrists. Finally, a black mask with red eye slits slid down the helmet and snapped onto the faceplate.

Grabbing the cape, he swept it to the side dramatically with a wave of his arm and then narrowed his eyes upon the Imagin. This was the true power hidden within his armor and it was incredible.

Buzzing with anger, the Imagin lunged at Ifrit, flying through the air and brandishing its blades. It slashed down on Ifrit only for the Tyrano-Katana to block it. The Tricera-Buster slid down to Ifrit's fist and he drew it back before ramming it hard into the Imagin's chest with explosive force. The Imagin was sent sailing and crashed into a tree, uprooting it in the process. The Tricera-Buster and Tyrano-Karana slid back up Ifrit's arms and back to the shoulders as the Rider reached down to his belt and pressed the buttons in a different order: Black, White, Blue and Red.

The belt received the command and called out, "**CHARGE AND UP!**"

Getting into a stance, Ifrit bent his knees as he crossed his arms in front of him at the wrist, growling as electricity travelled from the belt and into his feet. Looking straight up, he aimed his sights on the Imagin before leaping high into the air. He then dropped down with both feet aimed at the Imagin who attempted to flee but it was already too little too late for it. Ifrit's feet smashed it into the ground, creating a crater on impact. The Imagin itself stopped struggling as Ifrit leapt upwards, witnessing as the Imagin exploded within the crater. Landing on the grass, Ifrit tossed his cape over his shoulder before turning away from the smoke that billowed from the crater.

'_Flashy as usual, Ryuji_,' spoke Loki in Ifrit's mind.

"I know," said Ifrit as he admired his new form. "I think I'm going to like this new suit."

'_You better hurry up_,' prompted Loki. '_The others are waiting._'

Ryuji groaned, "Don't remind me." Loki had told him about the party that was being thrown at Kotonoha's.

'_I know you don't look forward to meeting the kings and the princesses, but I do know that you can't wait to join Kotonoha-san._'

"That's true," Ryuji agreed. "Alright, come and pick me up!" At his call, the DynoLiner sped out of a portal and picked him up before entering through another portal.

As Ryuji was piloting his train back to the present, he got a message on the screen. He read it and decided to make a detour to the King's Terminal, while wondering, "What does Ant want right now?" Whatever it was it sounded urgent.

* * *

Ryuji, Warren and Kenzaki followed Ant into the Station Master's office. While the man in the white captain's outfit was usually in a more jovial mood, his face was etched with a grim expression. That wasn't good. That meant he wanted to talk about something serious.

"What's this about?" asked Ryuji.

"An hour ago we received this transmission," said the Station Master as he turned on the big monitor in his office. Nanimo's masked face was displayed on the screen for all to see.

"Nanimo," growled/snarled Ryuji and Kenzaki.

"_To the Kamen Riders_," Nanimo began. "_Hear me and listen well. You have all defeated my Imagin many times before, but that was only out of good fortune. You only battled a small number of them. However, this time, things will change. I hope you are prepared because this time I will be sending an entire army to wipe you and that world out. It will fall and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Oh, and Kenzaki, I'll be waiting_…" The message ended and the screen displayed static.

"That could only mean one thing," said Ant seriously. "He's planning an invasion."

"How big of an invasion?" asked Warren.

"Be prepared for anything," warned the Station Master. "We don't know how many Imagin he has under his control so you must all be prepared for the worst."

"I'll contact the others," said Ant. "This is something ALL the ChronoLiner Riders need to face."

"Same here," said Warren. "I'll tel Raven and Benitora too. I'll even contact some other friends to help out."

"And you two?" asked the Station Master to Ryuji and Kenzaki. "What will you two do?"

"Stop him and bring him down," said Kenzaki.

"Like we always do," said Ryuji with pure conviction. Deep down, he was a Titan, a Rider and a hero of justice nonetheless.

* * *

"Warren, what are our chances of survival?" asked Ryuji as he and Warren were headed back to their trains.

"Well, in all honesty, pretty low," answered Warren.

"I see," nodded Ryuji. "Well, at least if we die it would be for something worthwhile."

"Kohai, you ain't gonna die," assured Warren.

"But there's still the possibility. Can you promise me something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Take care of Koto-chan for me."

"Kohai, trust me, I won't let you die. If push comes to shove, I'll go all out. But, worst case scenario, yes, I'll look after her."

"Its funny how thing turned out," said Ryuji with a light laugh. "We all got here by accident and look at us now. We're this world's only hope."

"Well, that's normally how it works," sighed Warren.

Ryuji allowed himself to smile. "And it's funny how we've changed. I mean, you know what I used to be like."

Warren remarked, "Yep, but things change. Kotonoha was good for you kohai."

Ryuji couldn't but agree. "Yes, she is. Even after she saw my true form she never stopped loving me. Is that what it's like to have unconditional love?"

Warren replied, "Both Raven and Teresa have seen my Awakened Form, and they both love me. You got something special here kohai."

Ryuji spoke as he recalled some familiar faces, "I never intended to befriend anyone else aside from Koto-chan. But…Otome, Sekai, Nanami, Hikari…heck even Itou has become important to me," admitted Ryuji.

Warren told him, "You've got people to look out for you now. A lot of people would say that's a weakness, but, in fact, it's your greatest strength."

"Friends," mused Ryuji. "I never cared for people before but now I have people I want to protect. Is that what it means to be a hero?"

"That's exactly what it means," said Warren with a nod.

"I guess there's always hope for people like me to change for the better. So, you ready to kick some Imagin butt?"

Warren gave his fellow Rider a smile. "Thought you'd never ask…"

* * *

Ryuji came home to the Katsura residence to find that the two kings, their princesses, Kotonoha, Kokoro, and the Imagin were having a small party. There was food, drinks/booze and entertainment. At the moment, the kings were having a karaoke duet right in the living room and proving to be…well, they weren't horrible, but they weren't going to win any singing contests with those kinds of voices.

It actually pained Ryuji because this was probably the last party he would be attending. Might as well enjoy it while he could.

"Tadaima," said Ryuji.

"Oh, Okaeri nasai, Ryuji," greeted Loki happily. Ryuji came into the living room and had his back slapped by King Eustace.

"Welcome back, my boy!" said King Eustace loudly. "We were wondering where you've been!"

"Just some business I needed to discuss with Warren," answered Ryuji.

Kotonoha noticed how Ryuji seemed a little worried about something. She would need to ask him about it later.

Ryuji sat down and had the microphone shoved in his face by King Frederick. "Ryuji, why don't you sing for us?"

Ryuji crossed his arms and declined, saying, "I don't sing."

"Aw, come on," coaxed Rina. "What's the harm?"

"I'm not much of a singer," added Ryuji, still protesting.

"Please, Ryuji-niichan!" Kokoro begged. Ryuji grumbled.

"I'll sing with you," offered Kotonoha.

"Me too!" Siera spoke up.

As Ryuji drank some soda, he contemplated on everything that had happened up to this point. The battles with the Imagin were close to ending now. Wasn't that what he was fighting for all this time?

He saw everyone's eyes still on him and forced a smile. "One song," he said firmly. Everyone cheered. "And I'm doing it solo." The girls he was engaged to all looked saddened by that. He ignored them and took the microphone.

* * *

Upon returning to the GaroLiner, Kenzaki could see Neko at one of the dining car's booths, with Koneko in her lap as she told the little female Imagin a story. It actually pained him since this might as well be over after what Nanimo had said in his message. He didn't want to lose this so he had no choice but to fight.

The Kitten Imagin yawned and fell asleep. Noting Kenzaki's return, she said, "So, why did the Station Master talk with you about?" He approached her and gently picked up Koneko, cradling her in his arms. Neko stared. "Ken-kun?"

"Let's put her to bed and then I'll tell you," he said to her.

* * *

After Siera, Rina and their fathers left, Kotonoha went to confront Ryuji. During the whole party he looked worried about something and she wanted to know what it was. Now that they were engaged to be married, he shouldn't hide things from her.

She knocked on the door and heard some shuffling before he opened the door. "Oh, Koto-chan."

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Hey, sure," he said with a smile. "You're always welcomed."

She came in and then went over to sit on the bed. He sat down next to her, silent. She decided to start asking him about what was wrong. "Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he lied.

"Ryuji-kun…" she said in a warning tone. She didn't want to be lied too.

Ryuji sighed. "I can never lie to you, huh?"

"Yes, and you promised to never hide things from me. So, what's wrong?"

Ryuji closed his eyes and recalled Nanimo's message before answering, "Nanimo's planning a final strike on this world. He's challenging us to stop him."

"Is that what you're worried about?" asked Kotonoha. "You can beat him," she said encouragingly. She was confident that he would win.

"But this time he's gonna send an entire army," said Ryuji. She gasped in shock.

"An…army?" she stammered.

"That's right. I'm not sure how many Imagin I may face…but I got the feeling that…this is gonna be the fight of my life."

Kotonoha was about to say something but was silenced by his lips pressing against hers. He pulled away from the girl and then held her close against him.

"I may not come back," he told her honestly, shocking her and scaring her to the core.

* * *

Once Koneko was safely in bed, Kenzaki told Neko everything and she was shocked. Of course, she shouldn't be. She expected this from Nanimo, really, but to send an entire army was madness.

"Ken-kun, what will you do?" asked Neko.

Kenzaki, with eyes narrowed, punched his fist into his open palm. "What else, I'm gonna put him out of his misery." He had made his resolve.

"But, you can't!" Neko protested. Kenzaki stared at her as she continued, "He's your brother!"

Kenzaki nearly forgot how family was important to Neko but he had to explain things to her. It was so she could understand why he needed to do this.

"He _was_ my brother," corrected Kenzaki. "And now he's a threat. He has to be stopped."

Neko could understand his reasons, but she didn't want him to kill Nanimo. Still, if this was going to be a huge final battle, she was going to be there by his side. "Then, can you at least let me fight alongside you?"

Kenzaki didn't want to put his new fiancée in danger but he couldn't say no to her when she stared at him like that. She was also stubborn, like him, and would no doubt go and fight by his side even if he said no. "Yes, you can. Nothing would make me happier." He gave her a hug and kissed her deeply. The door of the room where Koneko was sleeping in opened and the young Kitten Imagin poked her head out to see what was going on and stuck out her tongue.

"Ew!!! Onii-chan and Onee-chan are kissing! Yuck! You got cooties!" she let out in playful disgust.

"Go back to bed!" her caretakers snapped and the Kitten Imagin giggled before retreating back into the room.

The two were silent for about a minute as they stood in the hallway.

"I may not come back, y'know?" said Kenzaki. She stared at him, eyes wide in shock, stunned by his words, "I may not even survive."

"Don't say that!" she told him, hugging him tight. "Please, don't say things like that!"

"But it might be true," said Kenzaki. "Call it a feeling." He could feel Neko's hold on him tighten. "Neko..."

"You'll survive! You will! I did so you will too, and then we'll live happily ever after!"

'_I hope so..._' Kenzaki thought but he knew that this was going to be his toughest fight yet.

* * *

Kotonoha was in the bath, thinking over Ryuji's words. Over and over again the words repeated in her mind.

_I may not come back…_

"No…" She clutched her eyes shut.

_I may not come back…_

"Ryuji-kun…" Tears fell from her eyes.

_I may not come back…_

"Don't leave me…" She was sobbing now.

_I may not come back…_

"I...won't let you...leave," she said shakily but her voice was underlined by a tone of determination. She was going to make him stay if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Kenzaki entered Koneko's room to say goodnight to the Kitten Imagin. He saw her, curled up on her bed, crying. "Koneko-chan, what's wrong?" asked Kenzaki. She turned and faced him.

"Onii-chan!" she cried as she latched onto him. "Don't go! I don't want to lose my Onii- chan! Please don't go!"

Kenzaki gently pushed Koneko off of him, before kneeling down to get at eye level with the tiny Imagin. "I have to go," said Kenzaki with a sad smile.

"But why!?" sobbed Koneko.

"Because…Because Onii-chan has an otouto-chan who's been very bad. And Onii-chan's mama and papa aren't around to punish him. So, it's up to your Onii-chan to go punish him," explained Kenzaki.

"But…but I heard you tell Onee-chan you might not come back…"

Kenzaki wrapped Koneko in a hug, letting her cry into his chest. "I'll come back. I promise. Your Onii-chan is the best, remember? There's no way I'm gonna lose. Besides, when I've got two beautiful girls, like you and your Onee-chan, I'd be pretty stupid not to come back, huh?"

"Onii-chan…"

"I'll come back, I promise. And when I do, you and I can go to the park, and play together all day," promised Kenzaki.

"Really?" wondered Koneko.

"Yeah…"

* * *

The door to Ryuji's room creaked open as a slender female figure slipped inside and tiptoed towards the bed. Ryuji's eyes slowly slid open as he heard the soft tapping of feet against the floor. Someone was coming to the bed.

'_Kotonoha?_' he though as the person slipped under the covers and held him from behind.

"Ryuji…don't go…" she pleaded as she clutched at his back. He could feel her breasts pressed against his back and from the feeling he knew she was naked. "I'll do anything you want…just please, stay with me, forever."

'_I shouldn't have told her…_' Ryuji realised.

"Please…stay here and don't go…I don't want you to go…" she begged him.

"I can't," he said turning around to face her. She was trying to seduce him and convince him to stay. "I have to go."

"I won't let you!" she held onto him more tightly. "Even if I have to tie you up, chain you up, and put you in a cage! I won't let you go!"

"Won't work on me," he reminded, stroking her face gently. "You know that."

"But…I don't want you to leave me…not again…" she sobbed. He wiped her tears away. "Ryuji-kun?"

"For tonight, I'll stay with you," he said as he took her into his arms and kissed her. "We'll become one."

"Ryuji-kun…" uttered Kotonoha before she was lost in a haze of bliss. "Mine…"

* * *

Kenzaki walked out of Koneko's room to see Okami standing there. "You're a real bastard for lying to that kid, Shonen-kun," growled Okami.

"Well, I had to get her to stop crying somehow," Kenzaki sighed. "I really might die, Okami. But it's strange. I'm not afraid of facing my own mortality. I'm afraid of what I'll be leaving behind. Neko, Koneko, Kumiko, hell, even you assholes." Kenzaki then began to walk off. "It was fun…playing the hero. Guess it's time to face this, once and for all."

"OI!" called Okami. "You did good kid. That old bastard Gou would be proud of the man you turned into. It was great working with you…Kenzaki."

"Tch, stop talking about me like I'm already dead," said Kenzaki. "I'll come back. If there was one thing Gou taught me, it was to never go back on your word. I promised both Koneko and Neko I'd be coming back. So, I'll come back."

* * *

Kotonoha continued to sleep, exhausted from the night's activities. She was having blissful dreams as Ryuji silently got out of bed. "Gomen," he softly apologized as he got dressed. "I'll come back, I promise."

He went to the door and opened it, revealing the Sands of Time and the DynoLiner.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Ryuji heard Athena ask.

"I don't think I'll be ever to say goodbye," Ryuji said sadly. "If I did she wouldn't let me go."

"It'll break her heart to find you gone," said Athena.

"I know, but I have to do this. So, I'll leave her in your care, OK?"

Athena gave a nod. "Alright. I'll take care of her for you."

"Arigatou." Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at Kotonoha before he exited. '_Sayonara_...'

When she woke up, he would be gone.

* * *

In the GaroLiner's dining car, Shiori was whistling a tune while she wiped clean some of the glasses at her counter. The phone rang so Shiori picked it up.

"Moshi moshi!" she said cheerfully.

"_Hello._ _Is this Kenzaki Tsukuba's GaroLiner?_" asked the voice on the other line.

"Yes, this is the GaroLiner! Who is it?" asked Shiori as Kenzaki entered. "Oh, Kenzaki, it's for you." She handed him the phone.

"Who is this?" asked Kenzaki.

"_This is the Station Master of the King's Terminal. Is this Kenzaki Tsukuba?_"

"Yes, it is, Station Master. What is it?" questioned Kenzaki.

"_I have alarming news_," said the Station Master. The Station Master then told Kenzaki the date where the Imagin have gone too.

Kenzaki let out a sigh. "Of course it would be that day…"

* * *

"_Onii-san! Wait!" called a young boy, only eight._

"_Hayaku, Nanimo! If Mom and Dad get home before we do, we'll be in big trouble!" shouted a young Kenzaki, who was only ten._

"_You're the one who thought it'd be a good idea to do this!"_

"_Hey, who wouldn't want to check out an old army base?" asked Kenzaki as he stopped, waiting for his little brother. He also needed to catch his breath, so he leaned against the pole behind him. However, the pole was weak and gave out. "AH!" shouted Kenzaki as he began falling. He reached out and grasped the railing._

"_Onii-san!" shouted Nanimo as he went to help his brother. The young boy grabbed his older brothers arm and began pulling, as Kenzaki began pulling himself up. Soon Kenzaki was back up on the railing, panting. "Are you OK?"_

"_Yeah, thanks, Nanimo," said Kenzaki. The railing began to shake, and soon, Kenzaki was holding on for dear life, but Nanimo wasn't lucky or fast enough and he fell off the railing, toward the bubbling vat of silvery liquid below. "Nanimo!"_

"_Onii-san!" shouted the boy as he hit the liquid. The metal shot upward and splashed onto Kenzaki, quickly covering his torso and arms. _

"_Onii-san!" was all Kenzaki heard as he lost consciousness._

* * *

"_Hurry, before the Imagin cause irreparable damage!_" shouted the Station Master.

"I'm on my way!" said Kenzaki.

"You mean _we're_ on our way," corrected Neko as she stood behind him.

* * *

Ryuji was in the DynoLiner, sitting on his bike in his cockpit. Part of him regretted leaving so abruptly but he knew he had to do this. It was important and for Kotonoha's sake. He couldn't let anything stop him, not even her.

As he tightened his grip on the Dyno-Breaker's handlebars, the viewing screen in front of him showed Ant's face. "Ant, what's up?"

"_Ryuji, there's been a report of a large group of Imagin appearing in the past. I'm sending you the time coordinates now_." The date flashed on screen and Ryuji's eyes widened. The date shown was Kotonoha's birthday.

"Not good," said Ryuji.

"_Exactly, now go and stop them. I'll try and send for backup_," said Ant.

"Don't bother," said Ryuji. "They're mine!"

His DynoLiner roared along the tracks and into the portal. He was headed to the past, on the day Kotonoha was born.

"Henshin!"

"**SABRE FORM!**"

* * *

ZK Chromedragozoid: The conclusion of the story will take place in the next chapter. I sure hope you enjoyed this story bcoz it is about to come to an end. Thanks for all your support and I hope you continue to read these works.

* * *

**God-StrikeLiner Data**

The God-StrikeLiner is actually a combination formation performed by the DynoLiner and ChronoLiner, which also includes the Rescue Cars.

The formation is set up by both Ryuji/Kamen Rider Ifrit and Warren/Skull Rider Wraith by entering the activation codes into their control consoles which are hooked to their bikes. Once the codes are accepted the trains will break apart into their individual cars before joining together for the formation.

The ChronoLiner Cannon-1 will join up with the Missile-2 and Bimber-3. The Cannon-1 will be sandwiched in-between the two combat cars. The Jet-4 is not included. Following this, the ChronoLiner will link up to the DynoLiner from behind via clamps. Afterwards, the Tyrano, Tricera and Rescue Cars will come into play. First, however, the Jet-4 will launch its jet and the jet will attach to the top front of the Mammoth. Then, the Tyrano and Tricera will attach themselves to the sides of the Mammoth. The Fire-5 and Submarine-8 will attach to the top of the Bomber-3 and Missile-2 as the Gyro-6 lands atop the Cannon-1. Finally, the Digger-7 will attach itself to the front of the Mammoth.

It is very powerful but it still puts strain on the trains unless they break the formation in time. Its strongest attack (which requires permission to execute) is to use some of the cars as projectiles and thus sacrificing them before launching itself at the target. It's known as a kamikaze attack for good reason and should only be used under dire circumstances.


	31. Final Days: Part 2

In the GaroLiner's dining car, Shiori was whistling a tune while she wiped clean some of the glasses at her counter. The phone rang so Shiori picked it up.

"Moshi moshi!" she said cheerfully.

"_Hello._ _Is this Kenzaki Tsukuba's GaroLiner?_" asked the voice on the other line.

"Yes, this is the GaroLiner! Who is it?" asked Shiori as Kenzaki entered. "Oh, Kenzaki, it's for you." She handed him the phone.

"Who is this?" asked Kenzaki.

"_This is the Station Master of the King's Terminal. Is this Kenzaki Tsukuba?_"

"Yes, it is, Station Master. What is it?" questioned Kenzaki.

"_I have alarming news_," said the Station Master. The Station Master then told Kenzaki the date where the Imagin have gone too.

Kenzaki let out a sigh. "Of course it would be that day…"

"_Hurry, before the Imagin cause irreparable damage!_" shouted the Station Master.

"I'm on my way!" said Kenzaki.

"You mean _we're_ on our way," corrected Neko as she stood behind him.

* * *

Ryuji was in the DynoLiner, sitting on his bike in his cockpit. Part of him regretted leaving so abruptly but he knew he had to do this. It was important and for Kotonoha's sake. He couldn't let anything stop him, not even her.

As he tightened his grip on the Dyno-Breaker's handlebars, the viewing screen in front of him showed Ant's face. "Ant, what's up?"

"_Ryuji, there's been a report of a large group of Imagin appearing in the past. I'm sending you the time coordinates now_." The date flashed on screen and Ryuji's eyes widened. The date shown was Kotonoha's birthday.

"Not good," said Ryuji.

"_Exactly, now go and stop them. I'll try and send for backup_," said Ant.

"Don't bother," said Ryuji. "They're mine!"

His DynoLiner roared along the tracks and into the portal. He was headed to the past, on the day Kotonoha was born.

"Henshin!"

"**SABRE FORM!**"

* * *

"**FINAL DAYS: PART 2"**

* * *

The Imagin were causing everywhere, attacking the city indiscriminately without a single care. All of a sudden a tune played in the air. Among the Imagin was Nanimo and he smirked as he spoke, "They're here." He watched as the GaroLiner exited the portal, sped pass, stopped, and dropped off Neko, Kenzaki and their Imagin allies.

The Hunters all viewed the Imagin with looks of determination, ready to bring them down.

"There are a lot of them," said Raion as he pointed out the obvious.

"We can defeat them," stated Byakko.

Neko began, "Ken-kun, ikuyo."

Kenzaki nodded, "Right, Neko."

"And don't forget us!" howled Okami.

.Kenzaki shouted, "Nanimo! I'm here! Let's end this!"

Nanimo replied, "Very well then." He swiped his pass over the belt. "Henshin!"

"**DEMON FORM!**"

His entire body was covered in blood red armor with black marking and the armor on his shoulders resembled demonic wings. On the wrists of his gauntlets were retractable claws and hanging from his back was a cape that looked like a demonic wings. As for his helmet, the visor resembled a pair of demonic wings with a single horn in the centre jutting out.

"Time to die," said Shi.

"LUNAR HENSHIN!" called out Kenzaki as he activated Tenrou with his Rider Pass.

"**LUNAR FORM!"**

"GEKIRYU HENSHIN!"called out Neko. In an instant both had transformed into their Rider armor.

"Nanimo's mine!" proclaimed Garoh as he charged at Shi. Before making contact, Garoh lashed out with his sword, cutting Shi's mask. Garoh then tackled his brother, charging straight through several buildings before slamming him into the ground. The evil Rider then slammed his fist into Garoh's face and sent the wolf Rider flying back toward the park. He crashed through several trees before falling to the ground. He staggered to his feet.

While this was happening, Okami, Byakko, Raion, Buraki and Ryukendo were fighting with the enemy Imagin. The GaroLiner Imagin all brandished their respective weapons. Okami was armed with a scimitar, Raion had a naginata, Byakko was using his fists, feet and an axe, and finally Buraki was using fire and his gun. Ryukendo was using her Gekiryuken Keyblade to cut the enemy Imagin down with ease. Her eyes glanced at Shi and Garoh's battle before she set her attention upon the monsters once again.

Garoh charged at his brother and delivered a powerful punch to Shi's jaw. Shi grasped his hands together and slammed them down on Garoh's head. Garoh then lashed out with his sword, slicing off a chunk of Shi's shoulder armor. He followed up with a powerful kick to the head, causing the evil Rider to stagger backwards.

Shi then slammed his fist into Garoh, knocking his brother backward. "For everything you've done…I'm going to kill you," threatened Nanimo. "Ripper, take care of the other one…I'll be waiting, _Onii-san_."

A haunting tune played in the air and a Time Train sped out of a portal. It had the same aesthetics of the HorrorLiner, except it was a bullet train instead of a steam locomotive. There was a skull in front and the train was colored black and silver. It rushed past and picked up Shi before flying into another portal.

"Damn it!" Garoh cursed. "Guys, I'll leave these assholes to you! I'm going after Nanimo!" He then ran over to where the GaroLiner was and jumped up and into the cockpit. The GaroLiner then sped off to go after the DeathLiner through the same portal.

"Be careful, Ken-kun," said Ryukendo as she backhanded an Imagin that was coming up behind her. Her eyes then went on Ripper the Reaper Imagin who grinned.

"Nanimo-sama will be pleased once I kill you," gloated Ripper.

"Just shut up," began Ryukendo as she gripped her sword, "And fight me!"

They then charged at each other and swung their weapons. Sparks flew as they made contact.

**CLANG!**

* * *

Ifrit Sabre Form stood with Loki at his side, watching as the army of Imagin marched into the city. Behind the two was the DynoLiner, on standby.

"How many?" Ifrit questioned his partner. Loki looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Around 10 thousand," Loki reported. Ifrit didn't flinch at hearing that.

"So I'll be facing them all alone then."

"It appears so," confirmed Loki.

"You don't have to be here, you know," said Ifrit to his Imagin. The young Rider from another world would rather fight alone.

"I swore to aid you, Ryuji, from the day we met until the very end. Even now I will fight by your side."

"Thanks," Ifrit said sincerely. He was grateful to have such a loyal Imagin partner.

Loki bowed his head. "It's been an honor to fight alongside you."

"Same here," said Ifrit as he began assembling his DynoGasher. Loki had even summoned his Loki Slicer, gripping the handle of the large serrated blade tightly. Focusing his power, the blade ignited with red hot flames. Once the DynoGasher was completely assembled, the blade extended and Ifrit gripped his weapon tightly.

"IKUZE!" roared Ifrit as he charged straight at the Imagin army of 10,000. Loki was right behind him. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS, SO GO TO HELL YOU DAMN IMAGIN!"

* * *

Benitora was about to exit his girlfriend's family's shop to go home. She was at the door with him, smiling. "Good night, Beni-kun," smiled Hikari.

"Night, Hikari-chan" said Benitora. He then leaned down to give her a kiss. Suddenly, they were interrupted when Benitora heard a loud roar and then turned to see the Imagin, an entire army of them. Hikari screamed out in terror as Benitora went to stand in front of her protectively. "Hikari-chan, stay back." Benitora pulled his Zanpakuto from its hiding place and pointed it at the Imagin.

He commanded, "Rend their flesh and devour their hearts…Tigre de la Muerte!" His Zanpakuto shattered and vanished as he assumed his released state.

Rojotigre charged full force at the Imagin Army. "I won't let you hurt my Hikari-chan!"

Rojotigre began tearing through the Imagin mercilessly. One by one the Imagin were shredded apart and turned to sand. However, even in his released state, the Imagin army was still too much for him to handle. Had he truly devoured souls since he had arrived on this world, they would be no match for him. However, he had been living off of residual spirit energy on this world, left over by the Imagin's numerous defeats, not true souls. This left him at a significant disadvantage.

"KYAAAAAA!" screeched Hikari. Rojotigre looked to see a group of Imagin were advancing on Hikari.

Rojotigre struggled to his feet and began running toward Hikari. "I gotta get to her…I can't lose her. I need to be faster!" roared Rojotigre.

He was too far away.

'_Faster!_'

Getting closer.

'_Faster!_'

They were upon Hikari.

'_FASTER!_'

Rojotigre didn't know what had happened. One minute he was too far away to help Hikari. Now he was on the roof of her family's shop with Hikari cradled in his arms. "Be…Beni-kun?" asked Hikari as she looked up. Rojotigre smiled at Hikari.

"I'll be right back," said Rojotigre. Rojotigre placed Hikari down before he vanished. Hikari watched as row after row of the Imagin army was reduced to sand by an invisible force. Rojotigre now had a huge advantage over the Imagin. He had reclaimed his true power…

The power of the Vasto Lorde.

* * *

Kotonoha woke up and gave a yawn as she sat up in bed. When she looked over at her side, her eyes widened in realization. "Ryuji-kun?"

After getting dressed, she looked all over the house for him. She opened doors, hoping to find him hiding somewhere, just playing around, but he wasn't. She then tried to call his cell phone.

No signal.

The girl, distraught, broke down in tears and fell to her knees. "That liar…" she sobbed.

* * *

It was late at night in the city when the Imagin came to cause havoc. Of course, they were going to meet with some interference as three female figures and one male one were standing in their path.

With Ryuji in the past and Kenzaki and Neko facing Nanimo elsewhere, it was up to Kat and her family to deal with the oncoming horde. Warren was nowhere to be found so she had unpacked a few things and given them to Rose and Cathy.

"Cheh," snorted Kat as she watched the Imagin horde coming towards the city. She was with Rose, Cathy and Bobby. "If they think they can scare us like that they're wrong." She said to her family. "Everyone, let's go."

"OK, mama!" said Cathy as she wrapped the ALPHA belt around her waist.

"I'm with you," said Rose as she wrapped the OMEGA belt around her waist.

"Me too, Big Sis!" growled Bobby.

"Henshin!" called out Kat. "Rinki Gaiso!"

"Henshin!" called out Rose and Cathy after entering the codes into their cell phones and slamming them into their belts.

Bobby let out a roar and assumed a smaller form of his Byakko no Gai beast form, the same size as a normal tiger, but decked in armor and with axes on his back. Rose and Cathy also transformed, becoming Masked Rider OMEGA and ALPHA respectively. Kat too had transformed, assuming her Black Lioness form.

"Let's give em hell!" shouted out BL-Kat as she charged at the Imagin with her entire family behind her.

BL-Kat was the first to attack and with a roar sent several balls crackling with Rinki at the horde and watched with victorious glee as they were sent flying by the explosive projectiles. ALPHA was up in the air using her jetpack and shooting at the flying Imagin with her wrist blasters before landing and removing her blade-like wings and slashing at the Imagin with them. OMEGA had drawn the OMEGA Blade and slashing at the Imagin. Bobby, or Byakko no Gai as he was called in his current form, roared and mauled the Imagin savagely.

BL-Kat somersaulted over Byakko no Gai's back and removed the axes mounted on him before landing and then twirling her weapons around. She hacked and slashed at Imagin with her dual battleaxes, showing no mercy at all. This was the excitement she craved. It was her against an army and fighting without restraint. It made her heart race and blood boil as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

"SHISHI HOKOHA!" she roared as she sent her aura lion at the horde, watching with glee as they were torn apart and reduced to sand.

ALPHA and OMEGA were back to back and the white clad Rider spoke to her black clad second mother, "Mama is enjoying herself."

"Of course," agreed OMEGA. "If she's allowed to cut loose she'll love it to death."

Byakko no Gai growled and offered ALPHA, "Need a lift?" Her answer was to get on his back. "Let's go! I wanna sink my claws and teeth into them some more!"

ALPHA giggled. "I knew there was a reason I loved you!"

Byakko no Gai blushed before he charged at the horde as ALPHA opened up her phone and pressed 'OK'.

"_Excel Charge!_"

OMEGA did the same too.

"_Excel Charge!_"

The energy travelled through their suits and into their weapons before they unleashed their attacks, cutting the numbers of the Imagin by half with a single swipe.

"Now I understand how mama feels!" said ALPHA with a laugh as she launched herself into the air and replaced her wings back to her back. She began to fire rapidly from above, shooting down the Imagin as OMEGA continued to swing at them with her sword.

BL-Kat tossed her axes which imbedded themselves into the heads of a pair of Imagin before she summoned her large clawed gauntlets. She brandished her blade-like claws and went completely berserk and went on a rampage on the Imagin. All the while she was thinking, '_I LIVE FOR THIS KIND OF EXCITEMENT!_' It was what she enjoyed most of all.

* * *

Meanwhile, after Warren and Rachel had put their kids to sleep, Warren sensed the Imagin close. "Warren, they're here," said Rachel. She too could sense them coming.

"Stay here with the kids," said Warren. "This won't take long."

"You don't need me?" asked Rachel.

"Rae, if you got hurt, I wouldn't know what to do," said Warren. He faced her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "So please, just stay here. If the kids get scared…just tell them that daddy's going to send to monsters away."

"I'm a hero too, y'know? I can still help you," huffed Rachel. She then sighed. "But…I also know you're right. The kids come first…"

"Thanks Rae," said Warren as he gave her a peck on the lips. "I'll be back in a couple minutes." Warren stepped outside and faced the army. First he summoned his Vizard mask and his Zanpakuto, before shifting it into its Bankai form. He glared at the Imagin. "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers!" called Warren as he charged at the Imagin army.

Warren began slashing and destroying the Imagin. They couldn't even touch him. Warren was currently at his Level 4 release state. At this level, not even a Gigandeath could harm Warren.

"_THOUSAND SHADOWS OF DEATH!_" roared Warren as he surrounded the army with afterimages. The images vanished as Warren appeared behind the army. The Imagin army froze in place before they all simultaneously turned to sand and collapsed.

"Heck," snickered Warren. "Wish I had a camera."

* * *

Within a multicoloured tunnel, the DeathLiner and GaroLiner flew alongside each other, bashing and grinding as they did battle. The DeathLiner's weaponry consisted of mounted cannons, guns, and a massive cannon that was loaded with enough force to destroy a city block.

The GaroLiner activated its weapons, blasting at the enemy train which also activated its own sets of weapons to unleash a counterattack. The battle was fierce as both trains suffered heavy damage.

"YOU DIE NOW!" roared Shi, showing emotion for the first time in years.

"I ain't dying any time soon!" countered Garoh.

The two trains continued their assault on each other. Explosions rocked them as projectiles flew all around. Garoh nearly lost his balance but he held firm. He was going to stop Nanimo and follow him to the ends of the Earth if that was all it took. He would not rest until he stopped Nanimo once and for all.

The light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter. It was the exit and both trains were headed for it.

"Get ready for a blast from the past," said Shi. What did he mean?

* * *

The battle was fierce as two opposing sides waged their war. The streets were starting to turn into a graveyard for fallen bodies and they were piling up one after the other. The fallen Imagin had dissolved into sand once they were defeated.

Ifrit and Loki were able to kill several of the Imagin that had invaded. Frozen, sliced up, shattered and incinerated bodies of fallen Imagin littered the ground. Both Rider and his Imagin partner were surrounded but they continued to fight with all their might. Ifrit blasted them with his ice powers as he slashed at them with his DynoGasher Sword Mode. Loki was throwing fireballs as he sliced them with his giant dozuki.

"**TYRANO FORM!**"

Moving swiftly through the horde, Ifrit attacked as savagely as a tyrannosaurus rex. This form was made for speed. He struck using his Tyrano-Katanas. In an attempt to overpower him, the enemy Imagin all dog piled him.

It was a futile attempt.

"**MAMMOTH FORM!**"

With a roar, Ifrit tossed them off his body and pummelled them mercilessly with his fists. They all fell, literally, at his hands and superior strength. Mammoth Form possessed indomitable strength and raw power, sacrificing much speed to do so. The Imagin with long-range attack capabilities fired on Ifrit who quickly switched forms; from power, to defence.

"**TRICERA FORM!**"

The defensive armor of his Tricera Form deflected all the blasts and he countered with blasts from his Tricera-Buster. This form, with thicker armor despite the loss in speed, was perfect for the job, at least for now. He then switched back to his default combat form.

"**SABRE FORM!**"

* * *

The two trains flew out of the portal and their Riders leapt out before landing on the ground. Shi sneered, and said, "Does this place look familiar to you?"

Garoh narrowed his eyes and looked around. Then, he recalled where he was. It was the playground in Fukurou where he'd taken Neko to on their first date.

"Yeah, so what are we doing here?" questioned Garoh.

Shi pointed over to where a family was. Garoh dared to look and saw a younger Emiko, with two children. A ball had rolled onto the streets and the little girl was coming for it. Garoh's eyes widened.

"This is the time that you first met and saved her life," reminded Shi. "Back when you were a young boy you came here. You could've made sure our family survived if you had let her die." Shi clicked his tongue. "And cue the truck." Like he predicted the truck was coming for Little Neko. With a flick of his wrist, Nanimo sent an energy blast that struck the truck, causing it to swerve out of control. "This is when you save her, right?"

Garoh then watched as his younger self ran over to save Neko. However, this time he tripped. Garoh watched as the truck came at them.

"NO!" yelled out Garoh.

Shi didn't make a move and watched as Garoh ran to stop the truck. He positioned himself protectively in front of both children and then thrust out both his arms. His palms slammed into the front of the truck and the soles of his boots grinded against the asphalt as he put all his strength into stopping the truck. The truck driver had long passed out since the sudden blast had caused his head to hit the steering wheel. He didn't even have a seatbelt on.

The truck finally stopped and Garoh had been the one to do it, stopping it from hitting the Young Neko and himself. He then turned to look at the two, who gawked at him."Hey, kid!" Garoh shouted at his younger self. "Get her out of here!"

"OK, mister!" nodded the Young Kenzaki. He helped up Young Neko and with her ran from the scene.

"Sugoi! A Kamen Rider!" said the star struck Young Ryuki. Emiko then took her kids and ran with the Young Kenzaki in tow.

Garoh watched in satisfaction as he'd once again saved Neko's life. Of course, he shouldn't have turned his back on his true priority.

"Fool," saidShi as pointed his trident at Garoh. He swiped his pass over his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!"**

Garoh heard that and turned to see Shi aiming at him. Shi's trident was pointed right at Garoh's chest as the energy exploded forth. Garo was hit with such force that he lost Tenrou and his pass, forcing him to revert to his Plat Form.

"At long last, _Onii-san_. This is the end for you. Don't worry, I'll take good care of your lovely fiancée," Shi proclaimed as he walked closer.

"Kuso…" growled Garoh. If only he could reach his sword. He was on his hands and knees and Tenrou and Rider Pass, now separated, were several feet away. The last attack had forced him back into Plat Form and now he was at Shi's mercy.

Shi aimed his weapon at Garoh's throat as he stood over his. He was now prepared to finish off his older brother. Raising his Death Pass, he prepared to execute his Full Charge once more when…

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

"Huh?" The brothers, good and evil, both heard that, but it hadn't come from them. Suddenly, a black scimitar blade came flying out of nowhere in an arch and struck Shi in the front of the chest. Shi cried out in surprise as sparks ripped off his armor and he was tossed backwards by the attack. The blade then flew back to the owner…

The owner of the blade was clad in black armor with a wolf's head on the chest and wolf paws on his shoulders. His helmet also had a mask with a pair of prongs sticking upwards that looked like wolf ears. His hand was gripping the sword handle and in a flash of motion the blade had reattached itself to said handle. He hefted it onto his shoulder and then tapped his fist against his forehead in greeting.

"Yo, is this a private party, or can any old Rider join?" the armored man asked. There was no doubt in Garoh's mind of who this was. He recognized the voice and most importantly he recognized the armor.

Garoh Hunter Form, the original Garoh, also known as Gou Tsukuba and also Kenzaki's adopted…

"…Dad?" uttered Garoh as Garoh HF helped him up to his feet. He then remembered that he was in the past.

"So, you're little Kenzaki all grown up," said Garoh HF with a smile in his voice. "And looks like you replaced me."

Garoh wanted to cry. He really did, but now wasn't the time. Shi was top priority

"Hey, I think these are yours," said Garoh HF as he handed Tenrou and Garoh's Rider Pass back.

"Thanks, you Old Wolf," said Garoh as he accepted the items.

"Yup, definitely Chibi Ken," said Garoh HF fondly.

Garoh shot back, annoyed, "I told you not to call me that!" Still, he had missed that sound.

"You better hurry, he's getting up," warned Garoh HF as Shi got back to his feet.

"Right," nodded Garoh. He called out, "LUNAR HENSHIN!" and slid the pass along the blade of Tenrou.

"**LUNAR FORM!**"

* * *

Imagin continued to fall at the duo's hands but even so there were still too many of them to kill. Ifrit cursed as he got hit in the back but spun around to slice the attacker's head off.

"There's too many," Ifrit panted. Even he had his limits. Two against an entire army of bloodthirsty monsters wasn't exactly fair odds.

"I know," Loki agreed; his hood down and mask gone to reveal a wolfish face with sharp teeth. He was definitely an Efreet Imagin. "But we need to keep fighting." His eyes blazed.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Ifrit returned before they both returned to the fight. He pressed the four buttons on his belt and activated his newly acquired form. "Cho Henshin!" He slid the Dyno Pass between his belt buckle's 'jaws'.

"**DYNO FORM!**"

* * *

Back with Ryukendo and the GaroLiner Imagin, things weren't looking good for our female Rider. She was struggling to stand and her armor had dents and cuts all over it. Also, her bodysuit looked worn out and she blood was soaking through. Her visor was also cracked.

"I won't let Ken-kun down," said Ryukendo as she forced herself back to her feet, gripping Gekiryuken tightly. "You hear me!"

"Pathetic," snorted Ripper. He commanded the other Imagin, "Kill her and put her head on a platter." The evil Imagin roared and attacked Ryukendo who fought back with all her might.

"I won't fail…" she told her self. "I won't fail…" She yelled out as her Ki started to flare out, "I WON'T FAIL!"

Ryukendo roared out loud as she allowed her Kageki to flare out around her, glowing bright gold. She was not going to be defeated and she was determined to win no matter what. Her aura then took form above her, transforming itself into a golden dragon with large wings. It roared out as Ryukendo called out, "ULTIMATE GEKIRYU HENSHIN!" Her armor then glowed as her Kageki began to affect it.

The first thing to happen was the dragon breaking apart and turning into energy which then slammed into her shield. It changed gold with a shining sapphire gem in the centre and decorated with a pair of dragon heads that were facing away from each other. Her sword also changed as the blue was replaced by shining silver and the blade itself turned gold with Gekiryuken's head changing gold with shining red eyes and a blue sapphire gem in the centre of his forehead. The blade also grew longer, and sharper, changing shape to resemble a pair of dragon wings that were attached together.

Next, her suit was repaired and transformed as the bodysuit changed from blue to startling silver. Her armor also turned completely gold with a bright sapphire gem lodged in the chest. Finally, her faceplate/visor turned silver as well.

With a loud cry, Ryukendo announced, "ULTIMATE RYUKENDO! RAIJIN!" She saw the Imagin surrounding her and shouted out, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She swung her blade in a horizontal arch and sent the Imagin flying.

Ripper ran at her with his scythe, ready to take the newly upgraded warrior down, but unfortunately met a quick end as Ryukendo called out, "KYUUKYOUKU RYUOU GIRI!" The energized blade of Gekiryuken sliced right through Ripper's midsection and both halves of his body exploded as he screamed out Nanimo's name in vain.

"_NANIMO-SAMA~!_"

* * *

The battle had been long and hard for them and even in his strongest form Ifrit was overpowered by the Imagin's superior numbers. Ifrit was lying on the ground, a hand over a recently inflicted wound that was bleeding and with blue flames licking several wounds. One hand was gripping the Loki Slicer which his Imagin partner was currently possessing. His armor was ruined and his cape was in tatters. He panted as he said in a weak voice, "Loki, are we gonna make it?"

"_Do you wish for me to tell a lie?_" asked Loki.

"If it helps."

"_We'll live_," said Loki. Ifrit chuckled weakly.

"OK, NOW tell me the truth."

"_Things look grim, Ryuji_," responded Loki honestly from the weapon.

"So, we're going to die here," Ifrit stated.

"_Yes, it appears so_," Loki responded. There was no reason to lie.

Ifrit snorted, "You could've lied."

"_Would there be a point?_"

"Guess not." Ifrit chuckled humourlessly. "Remind me again why I'm even doing this."

"_It's to protect the life of the woman you love and to defend the world you've called home and the people of that world you call your friends and family,_" said Loki.

"Oh, I remember now. Koto-chan," spoke Ifrit as he struggled to make his body stand up, using the Loki Slicer to support himself. "Looks like I'm going to be lying to her. I promised her I'd come back."

"_Yes, you did_," said Loki. "_But it can't be helped. Better to die like a man for what you believe in._"

"Are you okay with this?" asked Ifrit. He didn't want to bring anyone into this and get them killed along with him.

"_Our lives are linked_," Loki said. "_Since the day you and I made that pact. Let me tell you that I am honored to fight and die alongside you_."

"Personally, I would've preferred to live," Ifrit shrugged. "But, what are you gonna do?" He chuckled bitterly.

"_They're coming_," Loki said as the Imagin surrounding them prepared one last attack.

"I know," Ifrit noted. "But I'm not going down yet, and if I'm going down…they're coming with me!" He struggled to get back to his feet, using the Loki Slicer for support. He then let go of his weapon. His arm hung down his sides as he locked his eyes on the enemy Imagin. Crossing his arms in front of his face, with the fingers curled, he called on every ounce of Mythical Ki he had in his body.

Ifrit called out, "GENJYUKEN! FORBIDDEN GENGI!" His entire body glowed intensely with Infinity Ki. The flame-like aura expanded further and the Imagin all backed away from it.

"THIS IS FOR YOU, KOTONOHA!" Ifrit called out, throwing his arms out, "MUGENKI KAMIKAZE HA (Infinite Ki Suicide Wave)!"

There was massive explosion of energy which wiped out all the Imagin who were unfortunate to be caught in it. They were vaporized on the spot with no chance of survival. Those that ran couldn't escape fast enough and were killed where they stood. It was Ryuji's most powerful technique and a last resort move.

Unfortunately, that also meant that the user would not survive either. That was why it was a forbidden technique.

'_Sayonara, Koto-chan. Gomen nasai…_'

* * *

Kotonoha gasped. "Ryuji?" She'd heard his voice…but he wasn't there, not anymore. "Ryuji…"

* * *

The first to strike was Garoh LF who started to swipe away at the evil Rider, spilling sparks as he struck with Tenrou. He then used a back kick that connected with Shi's chest, sending him staggering backwards. Garoh HF dashed past him and continued the assault with expert swings of his own blade, striking at vital points with the sharp edge of his Gasher. The evil Rider cried out in anguish. He then switched to stabbing Shi repeatedly with his Gasher and then using a front kick to send Shi back.

Garoh LF dropped down on Shi and swung down with his weapon. The evil Rider raised his trident to block and they locked weapons. Garoh LF continued to push down as Shi tried to push him back. Garoh HF then appeared behind Nanimo, slashing him in the back. Shi kicked Garoh HF back as he slashed Garoh LF across the chest. Garoh LF leapt back.

"Gou! I'll take it from here!" shouted Garoh LF. His vision was becoming blurry. He was reaching his limit.

"OK!" nodded Garoh HF. This was his son's fight after all.

Garoh LF and Shi faced each other, both warriors breathing heavily. "Kill you…" threatened Shi. "I'm gonna slit your stomach open and watch your insides spill out…"

"C'mon, Nanimo…" groaned Garoh LF as he struggled to keep his balance. "All these years…you could never beat me."

"Well, this time…I will. And then, I'm gonna go see that little girlfriend of yours, and I'm gonna kill her too…"

"I won't let you anywhere near my Neko-chan…" said Garoh LF as he positioned Tenrou.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," said Shi as he pulled out his Rider Pass. He waved it over his belt.

"Give me your best shot," challenged Garoh LF.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

Dark energy flowed through Shi's body before channelling into his trident. Shi charged forward, thrusting it forward. "Die."

A full moon appeared behind Garoh LF. He lifted up his blade and moved it in a circle. The moon behind him began to eclipse. He rushed at Shi. "SHOKU GIRI!" Garoh LF roared as he slashed at his brother with every bit of strength he could muster.

Shi's trident slashed open Garoh LF's armor, cutting deep into the metal beneath.

Tenrou slashed across Shi's chest. A silver arc followed the blade, before that too slashed through the evil Rider.

Both Riders now stood with their backs facing each other. Shi's trident was outstretched while Garoh LF's sword was at his side. Both Riders' armor shattered to pieces which faded.

"I'm sorry…" apologized Kenzaki. "Little brother…Know your place."

"Damn…you…" cursed Nanimo as he coughed up blood and collapsed.

Kenzaki stood there, breathing heavily and bleeding badly. '_I'm sorry, Neko…Guess this is one promise…I can't keep…I love you…_' thought Kenzaki as he shut his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Neko felt a pang in her chest. "Ken-kun…No…" she uttered as tears began to fall from her eyes.

* * *

5 days later…

Kotonoha continued living but not truly alive. She was a shadow of her former self, an empty shell. Her eyes which had once been filled with life were now dull and lifeless. It was like she'd lost her will to live.

Of course, her reason for living had left her, sacrificing himself for her and everyone else. Unfortunately, only she and a few others would know of Ryuji's brave sacrifice.

She was melancholic and introverted, not responding much to anything anymore. The groupies backed away from her, obviously sensing hr mood.

The ice crystal she wore as pendant hung from her neck but the bright glow had dulled. She still kept it. It reminded her of him, despite the pain it brought. It was something precious she had to remember him by.

She wasn't the only one depressed. Rina and Siera hadn't come to school since they heard the news. They were in grief and mourning over their loss. The fiancé they loved was gone now having sacrificed himself, and not coming back.

Kotonoha had contemplated several times to commit suicide but Athena managed to talk her out of it. The Amazon Imagin knew she had to protect Kotonoha now more than ever. She cursed Ryuji angrily for leaving Kotonoha like that but she understood fully well why he had to leave. He was protecting her.

* * *

Kotonoha was sitting on the rooftop, alone, eating lunch, when Warren came to see her. "Feeling lonely?" asked the elder Rider.

"Sensei?" questioned Kotonoha.

"Want some company?" he offered.

"Thank you," nodded Kotonoha as Warren sat down.

"You've been looking really down lately," stated Warren.

"You know why. Ryuji hasn't come back. I don't know if he's alive or dead, but he hasn't come back," said Kotonoha, on the verge of tears.

"He'll come back. My kohai is too stubborn to die," said Warren. "And trust me; I know a few things about death."

Kotonoha questioned, "But why isn't he back now? Doesn't he love me anymore? Doesn't he know how much I miss him?"

Warren answered, "Oh, he knows, but you need to give him time. If he's not back yet there's a reason for it."

"But what reason could there be? What's keeping him away?" asked Kotonoha.

"Kotonoha, this is Ryuji we're talking about here. When he's not with you or fighting Imagin, what would he be doing?" said Warren, trying to jog Kotonoha's memory.

"Training himself…I guess," said Kotonoha uncertainly.

"Besides, his heart's still beating isn't it?" asked Warren.

"What? What do you mean?" questioned the confused Kotonoha.

Warren pointed at the pendant. "Ryuji can't die because you have his heart. As long as you have it, Ryuji will always come back."

"His heart?" Kotonoha grasped the pendant.

"Yep," nodded Warren. "He gave you his heart. That's what will always connect the two of you."

"His heart is mine? I hold it?" smiled Kotonoha.

"Exactly," said Warren.

"Thank you, Sensei. You've given me hope," said Kotonoha, the light starting to return to her eyes.

"Eh, it's what I do," shrugged Warren.

"So, do you know where he is?"

"That, I can't tell you," sighed Warren.

"Why? Why can't you tell me? Please, tell me where he is!" pled Kotonoha desperately.

Warren apologized, "Sorry, but the last time I saw him, he was leaving my world to go off and train some more. I really don't know where he is."

Kotonoha blinked in surprise. "He was in your world? If you find him can you give him a message? Tell him I love him and that I miss him."

"Want me to hit him for you too?" asked Warren, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, a slap for making me wait for so long," said Kotonoha.

"Good, I get to have so little fun these days," said Warren.

* * *

It was after school when Kotonoha returned to her home. Once again she'd taken leave from her job at the Radish. Sekai covered for her. Her friend knew she needed some time to herself after Ryuji disappeared.

Once Kotonoha entered the house, the loneliness and despair returned. Without Ryuji to talk to she felt lost. Despite Warren's words of encouragement giving her hope of Ryuji's return, she still desperately wanted him back.

Once in her room, Kotonoha threw herself onto her bed, clutching the sheets as she sobbed. She did this whenever she was alone. She'd barely eaten or slept since Ryuji went away. She just wanted to cry out her pain, "Ryuji-kun…come back to me…" she pleaded. She wished with all her heart that he would come back.

The others didn't know what had happened either. It was like he'd vanished off the face of the planet. Warren was of no help either and just told her Ryuji was training and couldn't come back yet. He told her to wait but she just couldn't wait any longer. She missed him and her heart was breaking with each day of his absence.

"Ryuji-kun…I love you…so please…" she sobbed, soaking her sheets with her tears. "Come back…Come back to me…"

She then heard tapping on her window and when she looked up her eyes widened. There was Ryuji, sitting on the windowsill with a smile on his face. Was this a dream? Was her mind playing tricks on her? "Ryu…ji?"

He got off from the windowsill. The tears flowed from her eyes as she gazed upon his visage. Had she gone insane? Was this a hallucination? Or…was this real?

He sat on the bed and cupped her cheek softly. "Tadaima, Koto-chan," he smiled.

Then Kotonoha did what she'd wanted to do for a long time now.

SLAP!

"Itai!" Ryuji cried.

"Baka!" she shouted at Ryuji who'd recoiled in pain from the slap. She then pounded his chest with her fists. "Baka! Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka!"

"Hey, is that anyway to welcome me back?" he questioned.

"You left me!" she accused angrily. "I woke up and you weren't there! Then you were gone for days! Now, you ask if this is any way to welcome you back? "

"OK, I guess I deserve that," he shrugged. "But you know why I did what I did."

"I know," she sniffled as she leaned her head against his chest, pushing him onto the bed so that she was lying on top of him. "Is this a dream? Please, don't let it be a dream." She closed her eyes. "Please, let this be real…"

"It's real," he said, his arms encircling her waist tenderly. "I'm back."

"I've…" she sniffled, "missed you."

"Same here," he replied, running a hand through her soft bangs. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come back."

"Just like last time," she finished. "You left me alone again, Ryuji-kun. I can't just forgive you for that."

"So…are you going to punish me?" asked Ryuji, and he started to sweat worriedly as he saw his beloved angel sport an almost evil grin. "Koto-chan?"

"Hm…what should I have you do?" she said as she rubbed her chin. She then got a light of inspiration in her eyes. "Oh, I know!"

Ryuji didn't like where this was going. He fearfully wondered what his beloved Kotonoha had planned for punishment.

* * *

"_You mean you're NOT going back straight away?" questioned Ant incredulously as he watched Ryuji remove his bandages and rip the IV out of his hand._

_Ant had found him and Loki, both severely injured. While Loki was nearly falling apart, Ryuji hadn't looked so good either. Blue flames licked all over his grey skin. It was fortunate for them that Ant had taken them to the King Terminal's own hospital to get treatment ASAP. Ryuji had Ant keep his condition a secret so that meant Kotonoha wouldn't be informed._

_Ryuji and Loki both took a whole month to fully recover._

"_I nearly died when I used my Forbidden Gengi," stated Ryuji._

"_Well, that's why it's called Forbidden!" Ant retorted._

"_I need to train harder," stated Ryuji. _

"_You do know this means you'll be away from Kotonoha, right?" said Ant. _

"_How is she?" asked Ryuji._

"_Last I saw she was completely devastated. She thinks you're either dead or not coming back."_

"_She'll survive," said Ryuji. "She has Athena with her and friends to help her."_

"_True, but she's a wreck without you. Don't you care?"_

_Ryuji whirled around in anger and spoke, "Don't you dare question how much I care for my Tenshi-chan!"_

"_Sorry," Ant apologized. "But, still…you should go back to her."_

"_When I'm ready. For now I need to train," said Ryuji._

"_How long?"_

"_A year, two at most," answered Ryuji._

"_I'll set something up then," Ant told him. _

"_Thanks." Ryuji called, "Loki, let's go!"_

"_OK!" said Loki as he bowed. He then changed into an orb of energy that flew into Ryuji's body._

"_Here, take these," said Ant as he tossed Ryuji a set of world tickets. The DynoLiner's Rider caught them. "If you want a challenge while you're training, you should go to those places."_

"_Thanks."_

_For nearly two years Ryuji travelled those worlds and trained himself hard. It was rigorous and painful but he endured all that. This was for Kotonoha and he was determined to become stronger for her._

_The Genki in him had evolved. The Mugenki, or Infinite Ki, needed to be controlled and harnessed. Power was wasted if it was uncontrollable._

_Now, he was back at the King's Terminal and ready to return home, to Kotonoha. It was time for him to go back home._

"_I'm coming home, Koto-chan," he spoke as he boarded the DynoLiner. The coordinates of his destination were already programmed into the vehicle. It then chugged along the tracks towards a portal._

* * *

As Ryuji and Kotonoha sat in the living room, enjoying each other's company after his 5 day long absence, the front door suddenly swung open as a frantic Neko entered. As soon as her eyes fell on Ryuji, she cried out, "IFRIT-CHAN!" before pouncing on him. Kotonoha quickly dodged to the side as Neko's weight dropped on top of Ryuji, knocking him back onto the surface of the couch. "YOU'RE BACK!" Neko shouted again. Ant had picked her up from back in the past and brought her back to this timeline. Kenzaki had left Koneko with Ant before going to confront his brother. The Imagin had gone off in search of Kenzaki, leaving her and Koneko alone.

"Yes, I am," deadpanned Ryuji. "Now, as much as I appreciate the gesture, I don't want to be crushed or go deaf yet." He pointed to his ear for emphasis. Neko was being unnecessarily loud. She got off him and apologized. He sat up and rubbed the wrinkles out of his shirt.

"Ifrit-chan," sniffled Neko. "Do you know where Ken-kun is?" She asked. Ryuji went silent. "Well?"

"He didn't come back yet?" asked Ryuji.

"Where is he?" Neko asked again.

"I'm sorry, Neko-nee, but I don't know where he is," answered Ryuji.

That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

* * *

2 Days Later…

Neko sat alone in Kotonoha's dining room, picking at her food. She wasn't in the mood to eat anything. Nothing at all could cheer her up. Two days ago, her brother had returned and while that had brought her happiness, she was still missing something.

It was Kenzaki. He still hadn't returned. While a part of her was telling her that he may be gone, a stronger part of her kept telling her to never lose hope. Her Kenzaki was stronger than that. He would come back. He would come back just like Ryuji did.

Still, after an entire week without a word from him, even Neko was starting to lose hope.

The doorbell rang. She ignored it the first time but it continued to ring. No one else was in Kotonoha's house but her. Gripping her fists and gritting her teeth, she stood up and stomped towards the door. She was going to beat up the guy who dared to interrupt her while she was wallowing in self pity.

She pulled the door open and shouted, "WHAT!" and then her eyes widened as he saw the person standing in front of her. "It…can't be…"

"Hey, Neko," Kenzaki Tsukuba smiled. "I'm back."

"KEN-KUN!" she pounced on him, knocking him off his feet. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck as she rubbed her cheek against his. "Ken-kun! Ken-kun!" she cried repeatedly. She then stood up and helped Kenzaki to his feet. Neko then slapped him hard in the face.

"Baka!" cried Neko. "You made me wait so long! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" She cried as she continued to slap him but she was crying, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Neko…" apologized Kenzaki as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"Don't ever leave me alone again…" sobbed Neko as she cried into his chest. "Ken-kun, Garoh-chan."

"Well, it's done," said Kenzaki. "Nanimo is in custody now."

She was wondering what'd happened to Nanimo. "Ken-kun…doesn't it make you sad?" asked Neko. "He was your brother."

"Exactly, Neko," nodded Kenzaki. "He WAS my brother. Neither of us sees the other as brothers anymore. To him, I'm just the man who killed him, and to me…To me he's just another criminal."

"But…it does upset you to see him like that? What once was your brother turned into a monster?"

"He was right Neko. Nanimo…the Nanimo I knew, he died that day. Because I was too stupid, my own brother died. And he became a monster because of it."

"I'm sorry…Ken-kun." They both shared a tender kiss and embraced each other. "I love you."

"I love you too, Neko-chan."

Their precious moment was ruined as Kat threw open the door and glared at Kenzaki briefly before turning around. "Okaeri nasai, Bakayarou," said Kat. She then mumbled to herself, "Big jerk, I thought you were really dead." She then sniffled as she wiped away her tears.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Kenzaki. "There's someone I want you to meet."

A man came in. He had short, spiked up black hair with grey on the sides and a face that told people he'd had fought and experienced many battles. He wore a purple jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans. He looked to be in his mid forties but was in good shape for a man his age.

"Neko-chan, and Kat, I'd like you both to meet Gou Tsukuba, my adopted father," introduced Kenzaki.

Neko gasped in shock. Kenzaki had told her before that Gou had died so that meant that this Gou came from the past.

"Kenzaki," spoke Gou. "Would you mind going back to the GaroLiner to check on our things? I'd like to have a word with these girls, in private."

"Sure thing, you Old Wolf," said Kenzaki before leaving out the door.

"So, you're the Neko that Kenzaki-kun talked so fondly about?" said Gou as he gave Neko a brief look over.

"You're…Gou-san?" asked Neko in shock.

"Hai, I am. I take it you've been taking good care of my son?" smiled Kenzaki's adopted father.

"Hai, I have. He's a great guy," said Neko, a smile on her face.

"We are talking about the same Kenzaki, right?" joked Gou.

"Hai, my fiancé…and hopefully…" Neko trailed off.

"I'm glad to hear it. You know, even after all the time we spent together, I never really saw him truly smile."

"He started smiling when we got together," said Neko fondly.

"Yes, I was very happy to see him smile whenever he spoke of you."

"Did he tell you how we first met then?" she asked fearfully.

"Yes, back when I first brought him to my homeworld to begin his GekiJyuKen training," said Gou. "I was there if you recall, fighting right alongside him.

"Oh, well what about the second time?"

Then, Kat decided to jump in. "Your boy tried to put a bullet to her head!"

"Yes, I know," nodded Gou. "He explained everything to me. And you must be Kat. Kenzaki warned me about you."

"Well, of course. I am a criminal," said Kat proudly.

"Well, actually he told me you were a complete sociopath/psychopath with no redeeming qualities whatsoever that should be put down for the good of all humanity."

"Aw…how sweet of him," Kat said in mock gratitude. "Well, you can tell him to go-" Neko immediately covered her sister's mouth with her hand.

"Please, forgive my sister, she can be a little...rude," said Neko in Kat's defence. Kat tore her sister's hand off her mouth and glared.

"Oh, it's fine." Gou chuckled. "Kenzaki has told me a lot about you and what you've all been through. I can understand."

"So, Neko-chan, how has everything been?" asked Kenzaki as he walked back in.

"Kat-neechan, Onee-chan, why is it noisy? I was trying to…sleep," yawned Koneko as she walked down the stairs. Her eyes fell on Kenzaki and went wide. "ONII-CHAN!" she cried out. She then ran down the stairs and tackled into him.

WHAM!

Gou watched in amusement as Koneko purred and rubbed her cheek against Kenzaki's. "Onii-chan, you're back! You're back! You're back!" squealed the Kitten Imagin

Kat sighed. Koneko didn't take after her at all, even if she had been the one to make a contract with the young Imagin. She just acted like a younger version of Neko. She muttered to herself, "Where did I go wrong…"

"I'm back, Koneko-chan," said Kenzaki with a smile. "I promised I would come back."

"Does this mean we can go to the park now?" asked the Imagin expectantly.

"Sure, let's go. Come on, Neko."

* * *

Several Days later…

"KANPAI!" King Frederick and King Eustace cheered as they raised their glasses.

"To our heroes, the Kamen Riders, for saving the world!" cheered the King of the God Kingdom.

"Here, here!" agreed the King of the Demon Kingdom.

There was a party going on and all the Riders and their Imagin, not to mention their friends who knew their secret now was all in attendance. Even Hikari was there since Benitora had been invited. It was all set up by Ant with the Station Master and he'd booked a room for them within the King's Terminal Hotel to be used as the party venue. Drinks and food was being served as a moderate pace by the hotel staff as the group partied hard.

The guest list included Ryuji, Kotonoha, Kokoro, Athena, Loki, Eros, King Frederick, Rina, King Eustace, Siera, Gou, Kenzaki, Neko, Kat, Rose, Cathy, Bobby, Koneko, Okami, Byakko, Raion, Buraki, Kumiko, Shiori, Andie, Warren, Rachel, Vash, Teresa, Hikari, Miyako and Benitora. Alex and Tessa weren't left behind either and had been brought along by their parents to eat cake with Kokoro and Koneko. Gekiryuken was in attendance too as he hung from Neko's neck.

Of course, Hikari was in a state of shock too as she stared at Ryuji, Kat, Neko, Kenzaki and Warren. "So, you've all been the Kamen Riders this whole time?"

"Fooled you, didn't we?" grinned Kat.

"Actually…" began Hikari. "I kinda suspected it."

"How so?" asked Neko.

"Well, Kat, Ryuji and Warren-sensei knew a lot of stuff nobody normal would know and do things that no normal person could do. I remembered when Kenzaki and Ryuji fought each other and nobody normal could do the things they did. Also, normal people couldn't beat up those groupies and win while outnumbered. It just wasn't…normal or logical," admitted Hikari.

"Hey, you're dating a guy who's a ghost," pointed out Ryuji. "Logical and normalcy are both relative terms now once you cross into this world."

"And now that you're one of us, you'll experience even more strangeness," spoke Gekiryuken.

Hikari stared at the medallion. She was going to have to get used to knowing it could talk from now on. "Guess that's why you were missing for a week one time, Kat," said Hikari to Kat, recalling when Kat just suddenly disappeared for a whole week.

"Well, it felt like a week to you," began Kat. She glanced at Warren, "For me it was like 7 hellish months."

"Huh?" Hikari blinked in confusion.

"You came to me for training," reminded Warren. "You wanted to become strong and you said you were willing to do ANYTHING."

Kat snarled, "I nearly died."

"No pain, no gain," quoted Warren, "And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You are stronger now, right?"

"Yeah, that's true," nodded Kat.

"Is this something I should know about?" asked Hikari, but she wasn't sure she wanted the whole story.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," said Kat.

"Just, promise not to tell anyone," pleaded Kotonoha.

Ryuji warned, "If you tell anyone, I'll-" He received a smack behind his head. "Itai! Kat!"

"Don't threaten my friends, it's a party," scolded Kat.

"Especially Hikari-chan!" growled Benitora. He then told Hikari, "By the way, Hikari, it was Ryuji here who was that masked lunatic that attacked me."

Hikari gasped. She exclaimed at Ryuji, "That was you!"

"In my defence," Ryuji began, "I've had bad experiences with his kind."

"Not an excuse," mumbled Benitora.

"You wanna make something of it, Beni-kun?" Ryuji shot back.

"No fighting here," reminded Kat. "It's a party."

"When are you ever against fighting?" Kenzaki questioned suspiciously.

"Hey, I may like to fight, but I like food more, and I don't want a fight ruining all this food," explained Kat.

"It figures…" sighed Kenzaki.

Siera and Rina then leaned against Ryuji's sides, both smiling. "So…any plans for the future, darling?" asked Rina flirtatiously.

"Not really," shrugged Ryuji as he gently shoved Rina back.

"We're glad you're back and alright," said Siera.

Ryuji gazed over at Kotonoha and smiled. "Me too."

Kotonoha caught his smile and smiled back.

"Well, guys, we've saved the world," began Warren. "Now what do we do?"

"Maybe relax," suggested Ryuji. "Summer vacation is coming and I'm looking forward to doing nothing at all and goofing off after all this."

"Don't forget your homework," Warren and Rachel, being teachers, reminded.

Warren added, "Saving the timeline doesn't excuse you from doing it." The students, except for Kotonoha and Kokoro, groaned.

"Oh, this was going to be the biggest scoop of my career," said Miyako, referring to the Imagin invasion and the Riders' victory, as she downed a glass of sake. "But, too bad nobody remembers." After the Imagin had been defeated, Ant somehow had the invasion erased from history like it never happened. Nobody remembered because, as far as they were concerned, it never happened. The reporter eyed the party and smiled, "Well, almost nobody." She was grateful to be friends with these interesting people. They had changed her mediocre life quite dramatically.

"I think it's better that way," said Kenzaki. "The less people know the better."

"What ever happened to Nanimo?" asked Kotonoha curiously. She hadn't gotten a story yet.

"Where he belongs, locked up in prison," answered Kenzaki. He looked over at Gou who was talking with Okami and the new Imagin that had joined up with Kenzaki after he took over the title of Garoh. Koneko sat on his lap as he regaled the tiny Imagin with tales of his time as Garoh and GekiViolet. Though on this world he had been gone for a week, he had truly been gone for over a year, training his body to its peak, and learning how to control his Kageki.

* * *

"_So, you want to train?" asked Gou as he sat in the medical car with Kenzaki. He had bandages on his chest following his victory over Nanimo. Gou had gotten Nanimo locked up while Kenzaki was unconscious. The past and current Wolf Riders were discussing their next move. "May I ask why?"_

"_Even with Nanimo defeated and imprisoned, there are still powerful enemies out there," said Kenzaki. People, or more appropriately monsters, like Gog and Sauron were still out in the Multiverse, somewhere. "I can use my Kageki, but I can't control it. I turn into a raging monster whenever I use it."_

"_So, you want me to teach you to control it?" questioned Gou._

"_I never got a chance to finish my training with you last time, now may be the last chance I get," answered Kenzaki._

"_Alright, then get some rest. Training starts bright and early," smiled Gou. "I'm proud of you, Kenzaki. You do the name of Garoh proud."_

"_Thanks, Gou…But I've still got a long way to go," said Kenzaki. "I'll see you in the morning, you, Old Wolf."_

"_Good night, Chibi Ken."_

"_Don't call me that!"_

* * *

"OK, everyone!" announced Ant with a camera on a tripod. "It's picture time!" He set the timer and bounded over to the rest of the party. "Everyone, say 'henshin'!"

"HENSHIN!"

Flash!

The photo taken was developed some time later and it showed everyone in it, and the Riders doing their henshin poses too.

* * *

It was the last day of school before summer break officially began for the students of Sakakino High. It was the final period and the students remained seated as they watched the seconds ticking away on the clock. Our heroes actually welcomed the wait. With the threat of the Imagin and Nanimo over, they could live normal lives from now on…

Or so they would like to believe…

Suddenly, the entire sky outside turned dark despite it being the middle of the afternoon and the clock stopped ticking. Not only that but everyone around our heroes had stopped moving and was as stationary as statues.

Alarmed, our heroes ran out of their classrooms and out of the school building to see what was going on. Once outside, they looked up at the sky to see it actually cracking and pieces of it falling. The large hole that was forming revealed a large demonic and evil eye staring back down on the city.

One of our heroes, known heroically as Ifrit but also went by the name of Ryuji Hasuma, sighed.

"Looks like summer vacation has to wait, guys," said Ryuji.

"Damn, and I was looking forward to a break," grumbled Kenzaki.

"Well, looks like that will have to wait," said Kat.

"Warren-sensei?" questioned Neko.

"Alright," nodded Warren. "Let's go, everyone."

"Time to show this evil eye what we can do," smirked Benitora as his eyes turned gold.

Sand poured out of Ryuji and Kenzaki's bodies to reform into their Imagin.

Looks like another adventure awaits for these heroes.

"_**HENSHIN!**_"

((FIN))

* * *

Shadow Element 13: It was great working on this fic. Working with ZK is always a pleasure. Benitora/Rojotigre, Warren Smith/Skull Rider Wraith, Nanimo/Kamen Rider Shi and Kenzaki Tsukuba/Kamen Rider Garoh are all my creations, and I'm glad ZK can do them the justice the deserve!

ZK Chromedragozoid: Well, that's the end of School Days: IFRIT VS GAROH. Things have started out alright and ended alright as well. A happy ending, sorta, but evil never sleeps and neither do these guys. Well, I sure hope you enjoyed reading about the adventures but there will be more soon. Just you wait and see.

Ten-Faced Paladin: Hey! It's done! The story is complete and ready for all to see! I had fun working through this story, lending ideas and throwing in details now and then. Feels weird being part of a finished story after helping with it for so long. Well, there will be more adventures in the future. Until then!


End file.
